Trump tops global disapproval ranking of world leaders – survey

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has surpassed Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in global disapproval ratings, earning the highest level of negative perception among major international politicians, according to a new survey by the Alliance of Democracies Foundation.

The annual “Democracy Perception Index,” conducted by Nira Data for the foundation, shows global approval of the United States has sharply declined — dropping from +22% in 2024 to -5% in 2025, falling behind China (+14%) and approaching Russia’s -9%. The number of countries with a positive view of the U.S. dropped from 76% to 45%.

Trump remains the world’s most recognized political figure, with 85% of respondents saying they know who he is, followed by Putin (81%), Xi Jinping (63%), and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (35%).

However, Trump ranks lowest in net perception: in 82% of countries surveyed, he received a negative rating, compared to 61% for Putin and 44% for Xi.

According to Anders Fogh Rasmussen, founder of the Alliance of Democracies and former NATO Secretary General, the decline in U.S. trust is tied to Trump’s policies, including the trade war, pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and weakening of allies’ trust while emboldening adversaries.

“It’s no surprise that even people like me, who have admired the U.S. all their lives, are rethinking their view,” Rasmussen said.

The survey included responses from 111,000 people across 100 countries between April 9 and 23.

In Ukraine, trust in the U.S. has also declined. A Razumkov Center poll found positive perceptions of the U.S. fell from 84% to 63.1%, while negative views rose from 10.4% to 26.7%. Trump’s approval rating in Ukraine has dropped below 10% after public expectations of a decisive role in peace efforts went unmet.