'Dislike Trump, dislike US': No exceptions among 36 countries
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures after speaking at a campaign rally in Greenville, N.C., Tuesday (local time). AP-Yonhap
Views of U.S. President Donald Trump are becoming increasingly intertwined with perceptions of the United States as a country.
A survey of people in 36 countries outside the U.S. found a much stronger tendency than in the past for those who trust Trump to also view the U.S. favorably. The survey also found that those who distrust the U.S. president tend to hold negative views of the country. Korea has also seen a growing link between the two assessments.
The trend was displayed in a survey of citizens in 36 countries, according to Pew Research Center. The center said it had conducted similar surveys during former President Joe Biden’s administration and Trump’s first term, but the association between views of the president and perceptions of the U.S. was weaker at the time.
Pew Research Center highlighted the strong correlation between evaluations of Trump in his second term and views of the U.S. The median correlation between favorability toward the U.S. and confidence in its president stood at just 0.31 during Trump’s first term in 2017 and 0.34 under Biden in 2023-2024. The figure jumped to 0.54 in 2025 and 0.55 in 2026, following Trump’s return to office. The findings suggest that Trump’s personal image is having a growing influence on how the U.S. is perceived internationally.
The center cited Korea as a prominent example of this trend. In 2017, during Trump’s first term, the correlation was just 0.24. Although only 16 percent of Koreans expressed confidence in Trump, 71 percent of those who distrusted him still viewed the U.S. favorably. During his second term, however, the correlation rose sharply to 0.61 in 2026, with 68 percent of Koreans who distrust Trump also expressing unfavorable views of the U.S.
The trend is not unique to Korea. According to Pew Research Center, people in Poland and other countries are increasingly assessing the U.S. and Trump as a single package. In the past, favorable views of the U.S. did not necessarily coincide with confidence in its president. More recently, however, people have become more likely to judge the two together.
A similar pattern can be seen in perceptions of other major powers. The median correlation between confidence in Chinese President Xi Jinping and favorability toward China rose from 0.35 in 2017 to 0.51 this year. For Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia, the figure increased from 0.46 to 0.62 over the same period.
The findings show that the international image of the U.S. is becoming more closely tied to assessments of its president. Perceptions of Trump’s diplomatic conduct and handling of international issues appear to be increasingly reflected in how people around the world view the United States itself.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.