A Pew Research Center survey found limited confidence in President Donald Trump’s handling of world affairs across 36 countries, while earlier U.S. strategy documents show some overlap on China and industry.
Pew’s survey of 42,151 adults, conducted from Feb. 8 to May 13, 2026, put confidence in Trump at a country median of 23%. A median 57% viewed the United States unfavorably. These figures summarize results among the countries surveyed, not the views of the world’s population.
In Canada, 35% called the United States a reliable partner in Pew’s 2026 survey, compared with 83% in its 2022 survey. A separate Pew study covering 16 publics recorded more favorable views of the United States in many countries after Joe Biden took office in 2021. Its results are not directly comparable with the 2026 survey, which covered 36 countries.
Trump’s 2025 National Security Strategy calls for reindustrialization, strategic tariffs, competition with China and more responsibility for regional defense from U.S. allies. Biden’s 2022 strategy also prioritized domestic investment and competition with China, while emphasizing cooperation with allies. The documents show areas of overlap alongside differences in approach.
The Democratic Party’s 2024 platform backed targeted tariffs on selected Chinese products and opposed what it described as Trump’s proposed tariffs on imports from every country. The platform records the party’s position in 2024; it does not establish what a future nominee would propose.
In a separate U.S. poll conducted Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 56% of adults expected Trump’s tariff policies to have a mostly negative effect on the country over the coming years. That measures expectations, not observed effects. A 2024 review by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) cited economic analyses that found increased production in the 10 sectors most affected by the China tariffs examined, alongside a small negative effect on overall U.S. economic welfare. The analyses particularly linked that cost to Chinese retaliation against U.S. exports.
The Economist argued in an Oct. 21 column that a successor could change parts of Trump’s foreign policy while keeping some priorities. The strategies and the 2024 platform document earlier positions, but do not establish what a future president or nominee would do. The next U.S. federal general election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026, and the next presidential election for Nov. 7, 2028.
