Moral Decay: Trust in the United States is Weakened

Last week, we talked about trust and the lack thereof in our institutions and government under this administration. And I asked, if we cannot trust ourselves, how can anyone trust us? Well, according to a Pew Research Center study of global opinion, U.S. favorability ratings among our closest allies declined sharply between 2024 and 2026—reaching historic lows in countries such as Germany, France, South Korea, and Japan. A Gallup survey of global leadership confidence similarly found that international trust in U.S. leadership had fallen to levels not seen since the early 2000s. The Chicago Council on Global Affairs warned in its 2025 annual report that America’s credibility as a reliable partner is in jeopardy. If countries could leave Yelp reviews of the U.S., we’d be in trouble. Any guesses on why this might be happening? Let’s dig into it. 

In January 2026, the United States withdrew from 66 agreements. These included organizations such as the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law and the United Nations International Law Commission. These are bodies that exist specifically to reinforce the principles of accountability and legal norms that protect both nations and individuals from the abuses of unchecked power. 

Of the agreements, the United States withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement again. We withdrew from the World Health Organization. Do you know what this means? When a global pandemic eventually returns, as virologists and public health experts warn it will, the United States will face it without the network of international coordination and real-time data sharing that saved millions of lives just recently. We will face it on our own because of rash and irresponsible decisions. 

Then we have two more topics of burned trust: Iran and tariffs. The United States negotiated with Iran and was actively engaged in talks with Iran, and then suddenly began to bomb them on the morning of February 28, 2026, just TWO months ago. The United States betrayed that trust and has now signaled to the world that we are even willing to unleash violence on those who did choose to sit down at the table and open negotiations with us. Our trust is currently being questioned on the global stage, and we must take steps to signal to our allies and partners that we can be trusted. And that includes our trade partners.

The United States of America has negotiated many trade deals over the years, and arbitrary tariffs violate those deals and, once again, signal to our global trade partners that we are willing to violate agreements they negotiated with the United States in good faith. For example, in 2025 and 2026 alone, the United States violated trade agreements with numerous countries, including Canada, Jordan, Singapore, Mexico, Australia, Morocco, Peru, South Korea, Panama, and Colombia. The United States Supreme Court recently ruled that tariffs imposed on these countries by the United States violated the law. Despite this ruling, the United States then imposed a 10% tariff upon every single country in the world. Are we Great Again? No. We have lost the moral high ground and broken trust with our international partners. 

Trust, once broken, is extraordinarily difficult to rebuild. Nations that can no longer take the United States at its word will seek other partners. They will build alternative institutions. They will form new alliances, and when the United States eventually returns to the table, as we must, we will find that we have lost our seat at the head. We spent 80 years building a world order that served American interests and values, only for the Trump Administration to dismantle it in a matter of months. The consequences of that dismantling will be felt not for years, but for generations. Then the United States will become just another country seeking favorable trade terms and a seat at the global table. 

How will we get back to a country that leads the international order? It will require balance. A constitutional balance that restores our system of checks & balances, that holds our government accountable. Congress can take actions by formally overruling the tariffs, re-ratifying broken treaties, and building the framework for a post-MAGA world order.

I support a Congress that wields its constitutional authority. This Congress, including Tom Cole, has abdicated its authority and role within our system of government to the Executive Branch. Congress is the bulwark against an out-of-control Executive Branch and is designed to provide oversight and accountability to our nation’s leaders.

It is time for Congress to take that role seriously and once again exercise its oversight function. I am asking for your vote and for you to send me to Washington, D.C., to enforce our system of checks and balances.

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America’s Global Image Remains Negative, Pew Research Center (2023), https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2023/07/27/americas-image-abroad/.

Gallup World Affairs Survey: U.S. Leadership Approval, Gallup (2025), https://news.gallup.com/poll/world-affairs.

Annual Report on U.S. Global Standing, Chicago Council on Global Affairs (2025), https://globalaffairs.org/research/report/2025.

Withdrawing the United States from International Organizations, Conventions, and Treaties that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States (2026), The White House, link.

PUTTING AMERICA FIRST IN INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS (2025), The White House, link.

WITHDRAWING THE UNITED STATES FROM THE WORLD
HEALTH ORGANIZATION (2025), The White House, link. 

Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Imposes a Temporary Import Duty to Address Fundamental International Payment Problems (2026), The White House, link.,