US Reputation Hits Record Low in the Eyes of Germans

The reputation of the United States among Germans fell to a record low after Donald Trump took presidential office in January 2016, German dpa news agency reported.

After Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States, less and less Germans have started perceiving the US as a reliable partner.
According to a recent survey by the German statistical institute Infratest Dimap, only 22% of respondents think that Washington and Berlin have good partnership relations compared to 59% in November 2016.

These findings have been confirmed by another survey made by research institute YouGov: almost three-quarters of respondents (71%) evaluate US policy negatively. 80% say that the EU countries must closely cooperate with each other instead of trying to maintain friendly relations with the United States, German newspaper Die Welt wrote.

Moreover, two-thirds of respondents believe that Trump's policies could damage the German economy, especially if the new US leadership introduces trade barriers. Only one quarter supported the controversial construction of the wall on the border with Mexico or the recent immigration order preventing residents of seven Muslim countries from entering the United States.

In addition, eight out of ten German citizens consider the policy of the new US president to be disastrous for the United States.

Meanwhile, the latest survey of the Russian sociological research organization Levada-Center carried out among the Russian population showed a very different picture: the number of Russian citizens having a positive attitude toward Trump increased from 28% in November to 37% in December 2016.