Most Americans Say Trump Tariffs Damaged U.S. Reputation Abroad, New Research Finds

On the right is a pie chart categorizing survey responses shows 56% Negative, 39% Positive, 5% None of the above. One the left, a bar chart lists the prevalence of responses starting with "of a bully" 21% (36% among 65+)

Chart 1: U.S. Tariffs Reaction

A line chart shows U.S. Tariff response by political affiliation. Among Republicans, 20% selected "focused on its own people", "strong" 20%. Among Democrats, "of a bully" 26%, "self-destructive" 23%. Among Independents, "of a bully" 26%, "focused on its own people" 15%

Chart 2: U.S. Tariffs Reaction by Political Affiliation

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, July 22, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A national survey of 1,000 American adults conducted by Reputation Leaders in June found that most Americans believe the Trump administration's tariff policies have negatively impacted America’s image abroad.

According to the study’s findings, over half of Americans (56%) selected negative descriptors to describe how they think the U.S. is viewed overseas due to the tariffs. A lesser two out of five Americans (39%) selected positive descriptors. Overall, Americans felt the U.S. is perceived abroad as more “of a bully” (21%), more “self-destructive” (16%), but also more “focused on its own people” (14%).

Younger and older Americans used different language to describe the reputational harm. Americans aged 65 and older were more likely to say the U.S. is perceived as a “bully” (36% vs. 21% all ages). In comparison, those aged 18–24 were more likely to characterize the U.S. as "self-destructive" on the world stage due to tariff-related policies (26% vs. 16% all ages).

“Our data show that Americans are acutely aware of how protectionist economic policies like tariffs can strongly impact the U.S.’s reputation abroad,” said Laurence Evans, CEO of Reputation Leaders. “The tariff wars have also created uncertainty at home and abroad that has impacted business confidence, trade, and investment.”

The survey data reflects sharp political divides around tariff impacts. Republicans were much more positive about tariffs and more likely to report that tariffs make the U.S. appear more “focused on its own people” and “strong” (both 20%). Democrats and Independents were both likely to see the country as acting like a “bully” (both 26%). Democrats also felt strongly that the U.S. is perceived abroad as “self-destructive” (23%) due to tariffs.

The study surveyed 1,000 American adults aged 18 and over from June 20-24, 2025. It was conducted online with quotas and data weighted to reflect the national population age, gender, and region. The margin of error for the total sample is ±3.1% at the 95% confidence level.

Laurence Evans
Reputation Leaders LLC
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