World Leader? Nope

Other than nations that have transactional relationships with Trump, the whole world generally detests him. Both friends of the U.S. like the EU countries and foes of our country, like North Korea, look at him like a buffoon. Even if you don't understand German, the video above gives you an idea of what kind of esteem Germans hold the president-- especially when you compare that to how admired Barack Obama was there.

Last week Trump mouthed off about how great his relationship is with murderous Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, boasting how the U.S. would have been at war with north Korea if not for him. "I received a nice note from him recently. It was a nice note. I think we’re doing fine," referring to stalled nuclear talks with North Korea. The following day, the North Korean Foreign Ministry put out a statement saying there was no letter from Kim Jong Un and that Trump had just made it up out of thin air. "The relations between the top leaders of [North Korea] and the U.S. are not an issue to be taken up just for diversion nor it should be misused for meeting selfish purposes."

National Security Action, a Democratic organization, hired Hart Research to do a poll of voters in battleground states. Most Americans say Trump has made the U.S. less respected on the world stage. Only 31% think he's made the U.S. more respected. "Among the 16% of voters who remain undecided ahead of November’s election," wrote Axios' Dave Lawler, "59% agree that Trump is making the U.S. less respected, compared to 16% who say the U.S. is now more respected." This chart shows the share of voters who approve or are concerned about Trump's handling of key issues:

Standing up to China ranked last, suggesting Trump’s recent campaign to brand Joe Biden as "soft" on China may not resonate strongly. Especially harmful for Trump's reelection prospects is that 22% of voters in these key states say that Trump has increased the likelihood of war.

Jim Harper is a civil rights attorney contesting a gaggle of conservative Democrats for a blue seat in northwest Indiana. He noted that morning that "allies and world leaders don't take Trump seriously, and Americans know this. Now more than ever, we need international cooperation to overcome this global pandemic. Unfortunately, Trump has shredded American diplomatic credibility and, with it, our ability to lead. This is just another example of how Trump's incompetence will cost lives at home and abroad."

Eva Putzova progressives with the only opportunity for adding an Arizona progressive to Congress. She's the opposite of insular and is very aware of the danger Trump's narcissistic personality put's America in.She told me he's "made the world less safe and harmed our reputation with other countries. He has abrogated nuclear arms treaties with Russia and is developing low-yield nuclear weapons which increases the chances of them actually being used. He has increased tensions with China over his racist 'China Virus' statements related to the coronavirus. And with the exception of brutal dictators like MBS, Bolsonaro, and Duterte he is despised and disrespected by world leaders. Like his domestic policy, his foreign policy is driven by self-interest, not national interest. It is no wonder that 22% of voters in battleground states say that Trump has increased the likelihood of war. We need a President who will seek peace between nations and bring us back from the brink of armed conflict. Whether that is Joe Biden remains to be seen. A progressive Congress and progressive movement will be necessary to insure that is the case."

Lauren Ashcraft is the progressive candidate running in a congressional district that spans parts of Manhattan's East Side, Queens and Brooklyn, a unique situation. Her opponent has ignored Queens and Brooklyn-- and most of the Manhattan parts of the district, just lavishing attention on Wall Street and the wealthy neighborhoods of the Upper East Side. This morning, Lauren told me that "Trump's foreign policy has been to compliment leaders who compliment him or help him or his friends to personally profit-- an approach that is otherwise completely maniacal and without any logic or foresight. It’s time we have a new generation of leaders who won’t budge on being anti-war and anti-imperialism."

Having won his primary, history professor Liam O'Mara is running for a Riverside County congressional seat held by corrupt conservative Ken Calvert. "Our standing in the world matters, and not just with tin-pot dictators and foreign influence peddlers," he told me earlier today. "That this needs to be said at all is sad, but it does. Republican voters are always talking about keeping Americans safe-- so why do they ignore the evidence and throw out strategies proven to work? At the end of the day, it's apparently not our safety that matters, it's how 'tough' we appear, how much we push others around, and this approach to foreign policy consistently increases dangers for Americans and is objectively harmful."

"Trump, he continued, "entered office determined to hamstring the State Department, slashing the aid budget that helps us to maintain good relations and solve problems before they affect us, and attacking the diplomatic corps because it was devoted to the country and not to his personal interests. He has also repeatedly slammed NATO and the EU, maligned our close neighbours Canada and Mexico, and undermined pro-democracy forces in dozens of countries, while at the same time cozying up to dictators like Kim, lawless killers like Duterte, and overt neofascists like Bolsonaro. He has also continued the longstanding American subservience to the Saudi monarchy and the Israeli far right, in both cases ignoring core American principles and commitments to human rights. And he has pursued military action in at least eight countries that escalates the blowback risk to Americans, since military action alone will not and cannot defeat terrorism. We know what works and has worked, repeatedly and over many decades, in cases all around the world. We can spread liberty and stability, decrease the threat of terrorism and insurgencies, and strengthen economic and political ties in ways that ensure major wars are a thing of the past. And the way we do that is... pretty much the opposite of everything the GOP does in Washington. I had friends present and offering expert analysis before the Iraq War... which was promptly dismissed, with predictable and disastrous consequences. It's time we paid attention to the evidence again, and stopped letting this country be run by an organized crime family."