After just a few months after Donald Trump took office, U.S. standing abroad took a deep plunge. According to a 2016 Pew Research Center poll, 84 percent of people surveyed in Germany, Britain, France, Canada and Sweden believed the American president would “do the right thing in world affairs.” This, at the end of Barack Obama’s presidency, a man decried by his critics as someone who weakened U.S. ties with friends and allies. In 2017, the first year of the Trump presidency, this number fell to 16 percent.
Subsequently, matters have gotten worse. Last September, Trump stood before the UN General Assembly and declared that, “In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country.” His claim was not met with snickering. It was met with laughter.