Europeans’ opinion of the US sours

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/06/western-europeans-turning-against-us-after-greenland-threat-poll-finds

Rather than paste in the various graphics from the above article, just click on the link and peruse the lowering opinion of the US by European countries. The gist of the article is captured in the opening three paragraphs:

”Western Europeans prize Europe’s autonomy and values over transatlantic ties and will not give them up to placate Donald Trump, according to a poll suggesting opinions of the US have plunged to their lowest since YouGov began tracking them a decade ago.

The US president’s attempted Greenland grabhas succeeded in turning Europeans solidly against his country, the pollster’s latest survey found. Large majorities in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Great Britain all declared an unfavourable opinion.

The figures (unfavourable opinion), ranging from 62% in France to 84% in Denmark – of which Greenland is a self-governing territory – mark a further steep rise in negative perceptions of the US even since November, when the range was between 49% and 70%.”

This is not a surprise. In my view, we have gone from being a pariah with Trump’s tariffs and denigrating manner to being a rogue nation after the Venezuela aggression and Greenland posturing. Why would anyone trust the US with Trump as the president? I sure don’t.

Trans-Pacific Partnership – Trump exited but it went on without US

One of the first things Trump did in his first term is pull the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Yet, the other countries continued this partnership to better trade with China. There are multiple reasons to choose from – Trump does not appreciate multilateral agreements as the goal is everyone wins; Trump fashions himself as a great deal maker, or his predecessor laid the ground work for the agreement. All could be true.

Here is an AI search summary on the topic:

”The original Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is not in effect, as the United States withdrew in January 2017. However, the 11 other nations renegotiated the deal into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership(CPTPP), which entered into force in 2018 and is currently active.

Key details regarding the current status:

CPTPP Members: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom (which officially joined in 2024).

Active Trade: The agreement functions without the U.S., creating a significant free trade bloc in the Asia-Pacific region.

U.S. Status: The U.S. is not a party to the CPTPP. Instead, it has focused on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF).

The CPTPP maintains most of the original TPP provisions but suspended several, particularly regarding intellectual property, that were heavily pushed by the U.S..”

Interestingly, after exiting the TPP, Trump was so worried about favorably competing with China, he called former President Jimmy Carter asking his opinion. Of course, what Trump ended up doing is making it easier for China to compete with the US. He made the US a pariah, thus helping China make huge inroads with new trade deals with others. Plus, he elevated China’s human rights position by lowering that of the US.