Trump is making one country stronger in the world’s eyes – and it isn’t America

One year into his second term, President Donald Trump is making one country stronger — and it isn’t America, according to a new poll. Citizens of countries around the world now believe that China is ascendant, while few say the same of the U.S.​

Trump's "America First" policies have accelerated this shift, with high tariffs on allies and adversaries alike and his skepticism toward the U.S.-led system of alliances pushing nations into Beijing’s orbit. Meanwhile, America's foes view Washington with diminished dread, convinced that the era of unchallenged Western dominance has come and gone.

These are the findings of the latest global survey from The European Council on Foreign Relations, (ECFR) which sampled 25,949 respondents across 21 nations in November.

“Donald Trump did not go into politics to make China great again,” the ECFR, a European think tank, said. “But that is what the latest poll of global public opinion…suggests he has done in the eyes of the world.”

The poll came as the Trump administration has struck a markedly different tone in its relations with its traditional allies, most notably including Vice President JD Vance's speech to the Munich Security Conference in February, in which he castigated European nations over issues including freedom of speech and election integrity, and the ill-tempered Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky the same month.

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More recently, Trump and his deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, have refused to rule out military action in trying to take control of Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark.

The poll reveals that the majority of people in many major nations believe China will exert more global influence over the next decade, including 54 percent of Americans, 53 percent of European Union citizens, 51 percent of Indians and 72 percent of Brazilians.

Meanwhile, fewer people seem to fear the rise of China.

Only in South Korea and Ukraine do most people describe China as an adversary or rival. In contrast, half or more of Russians, South Africans, Brazilians, Turks and Europeans characterize China as an ally or necessary partner.

The share of respondents who describe Beijing as an ally that “shares our interests and values” has risen in South Africa, Brazil and India since 2024.

Additionally, in a number of countries, people anticipate their nation’s relationship with China will deepen in the next five years. Seventy-one percent of South Africans and 52 percent of Brazilians foresee this scenario.

Large shares of people also predict that China will lead the way in one major industry: electric vehicles. This is the prevailing view in the European Union, and to a lesser extent, in the U.S.

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That said, China’s ascendance does not necessarily mean America will fall into decline.

While fewer than half of respondents said they believe the U.S. will become stronger, many said they think it will remain influential on the world stage, indicating a potential return to a multi-polar world.

America’s biggest adversaries also do not expect it to gain more global influence, with just 20 percent of Russians and 34 percent of Chinese expressing this view. In contrast, large majorities of Indians, Brazilians and South Africans said the same.

At the same time, the shares of respondents who describe the U.S. as an ally has fallen in numerous countries and blocs, including China, Ukraine and the E.U. In the U.K., just 25 per cent said they considered the United States an ally with which it shares interests and values. That number was just 16 percent in the 10 E.U. countries polled. The only country where a majority of people thought the U.S. was an ally that shared its interests and values was India, with 54 percent.

And, in most nations that were sampled, the share of people who think Trump’s election was good for Americans, their own nations and world peace has fallen.