The global perception of the United States has taken another hit in the Trump era, dropping significantly in a new international survey of national image.
A ” nation brand” index — released Thursday from Germany-based market research firm Gfk and political consultant Simon Anholt — ranked the U.S. No. 6, a clear decline from its first place ranking last year. In fact, the nation was the only country in the top 10 to see a decline from 2016. Germany advanced one spot from 2016 to top the list.
The index, which ranked 50 countries on the power and quality of their brand image, was the latest in a series of global findings spelling bad news for America’s standing among the world’s top nations.
In the 2017 U.S. News Best Countries Rankings, the U.S. fell from the No. 4 Best Country to No. 7. A poll conducted for the rankings also found more than 70 percent of survey respondents lost respect for U.S. leadership as a result of the toxic nature of the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Similarly, a Pew Research Center poll released in June found that global perceptions of the U.S. had become more negative — a trend tied in part to U.S. President Donald Trump.
[READ: Dalai Lama Expresses Concern Over ‘America First’ Policy Under Trump]
“Trump and many of his key policies are broadly unpopular around the globe, and ratings for the U.S. have declined steeply in many nations,” the Pew poll noted at its release.
The ratings backlash is often attributed to Trump’s “America First” approach to foreign affairs. The policy became a hallmark of the Republican’s 2016 run for office, and has since shaped his global leadership and reputation.
The 2018 U.S. News Best Countries Rankings will be released in January.
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U.S. Global Image Takes Another Hit Under Donald Trump in International Ranking originally appeared on usnews.com
