The Global Perception of Today’s America

By Eliana Finkel ‘24

In 2016, Donald Trump’s motto was “Make America Great Again.” Assuring everyone watching that it was his priority, he would do anything he saw fit to do so. This motto not only took on a life of its own but crippled almost all foreign relationships that America had taken hundreds of years to build. The world watched as many felt America’s leaders displayed hypocrisy, arrogance and disrespect.

Before the Trump administration took office, America was held in good standing by many countries; now, America has disappointed close allies and supporters. This disappointment stems from Trump’s inability to respect negotiations and constitutions. Trump decided to pull out of important global deals, the effect of which put the American people at tremendous risk.
Donald Trump seemed to have forgotten, if he ever even knew, that other countries have looked to the US for wisdom and moral leadership. America has empowered its own people and exported that empowerment to other peoples around the world in a loud, clear voice, as few other nations could. 
Regarding our nuclear arms control treaty with Russia, Trump insisted that “the Russians had violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.” This was an early red flag signaling an escalation towards nuclear war. The Washington Post wrote that “the withdrawal also signals the increasing peril treaties face in a Trump administration that emphasizes national sovereignty over international cooperation.”
In addition, America backed out of the Paris climate agreement in 2017. This treaty’s goals are to help countries deal with the effects of climate change and reinforce the parties’ collective efforts to stop it. The Trump administration claimed that the deal would put downward pressure on the US economy, but his claim really sent a message to other countries that America does not care to stop climate change. Despite the fact that seven in ten Americans care about climate change and fear its long-lasting effects, the Trump administration carried out their decision. And after Syria signed the deal with much negotiation, the US has become the only major country not to be part of the monumental agreement. 
Another early decision by Trump was to pull out of the TPP deal. This deal is an agreement between 111 different countries that would make jobs abundant, advocate for a better quality of life, open domestic markets and more. This decision was based on the pressure put on Trump by his factory working supporters. Instead of investigating the pros and cons, he did it without much care for America’s relationships with the countries within the deal as well as the downfalls of this decision. Currently, tariffs have gone up on traded goods, creating a trade war, while very few of these workers have found a way to manufacture these goods in an efficient manner in the US.
Since America is known to be the most powerful nation in the world, all eyes are on America’s leadership at all times. And yet time and time again, Trump accomplished little that was not blatantly racist. His foreign policies have made it hard for any country to maintain the respect that has traditionally been associated with America. His implementation of the Muslim Travel Ban sent a message to the world announcing the discouragement the US feels towards diversity and inclusivity. 
The racism he preached has put us under a cloud, making our traditional allies hesitant to associate with us anymore. After George Floyd’s last nine minutes were seen around the world, countries started to stand only with the citizens of America, not its leadership. After Trump called Black Lives Matter a hate group, people from thousands of miles away took to the streets in solidarity. 
Finally, the Trump administration’s reaction to COVID-19 was to allow for 25% of the world’s COVID-19 deaths. After this, US allies could no longer respect an administration that was too apathetic and inept to fight to save the lives of over 400,000 of its citizens. Belgium now has a 75% unfavorable rating towards the US, as well as Germany with 70% and Canada with 62%. This pandemic was just the rancid icing on the cake that led nations to lose all trust in our country. 
The Trump administration not only ignored the pandemic for months but neglected to inform their citizens what they knew of the pandemic’s true danger months before the deadly disease had spread all through America. Only a fraction of protective rules were implemented in America compared to other industrialized countries, and none were actually enforced. 
The lack of leadership following this unprecedented time was humiliating. Trump encouraged a lack of respect for people who were at higher risk and brushed off the 462 thousand deaths and 27 million cases. Guidelines were never supported due to the administration not following the rules themselves. They did not mandate masks, never mind wear them at gatherings such as the super-spreader Rose Garden party.
 The pain and loneliness every American has endured during the pandemic were due to Trump’s recklessness. No country, nor anyone within America, blamed the virus on Trump, but his response was thoughtless and without a rational plan. When Americans turned to our government for reassurance, the Trump administration took absolutely no accountability. They tricked Americans into thinking that ignoring the virus would make it go away, at some points even encouraging the false theory that COVID-19 is a hoax. 
It was very clear that no decisions in Trump’s administration were based on expertise. Trump used discriminatory tactics for his own game, not thinking twice about the hate that hurt US citizens and everyone beyond our borders. Although he made decisions that affected thousands, it often seems he had solely his best interests at heart. 
Despite all the wrongdoings of the last four years, our allies still managed to reach out and offer America a helping hand with this crisis. Trump refused help and chose to let the people he supposedly cares about down, leaving Americans with a shortage of vaccines. 
But as President Biden starts to get comfortable in office, the world is looking up. In Biden’s first days, he has already given executive orders to promote racial equity, ending the ban on US entry from majority-Muslim countries, requiring mask-wearing on federal property, revising immigration enforcement policies, incorporating undocumented immigrants into the US census, ending the ban on transgender people in the military, rejoining the Paris Accords and much more. Countries have finally stopped turning on American news as comedic relief, but to inspire hope that after years of humiliation and incompetence, a nation can rise again.