Look what happens when you put an absolutely malicious and blithering idiot in charge of your country:

The coronavirus crisis has caused a dramatic deterioration in the European public perception of the US, extensive new polling reveals.

More than 60% of respondents in Germany, France, Spain, Denmark and Portugal said they had lost trust in the United States as a global leader.

A report based on the survey’s findings argues that the shock of the pandemic has “traumatised” European citizens, leaving them feeling “alone and vulnerable”.

In almost every country surveyed, a majority of people said their perception of the US had deteriorated since the outbreak. Negative attitudes of the US were most marked in Denmark (71%) Portugal (70%), France (68%), Germany (65%) and Spain (64%). In France, 46% and in Germany 42% said their view of the US had worsened “a lot” during the pandemic.

Americans probably don’t realize how much Europeans have traditionally relied upon the United States, nor how important this was to their sense of overall well-being and security. Frankly, many Europeans probably didn’t fully understand this about themselves until they were forced to concede that we’ve become an unreliable basket case.

A new president will help, but a lot of this damage will remain at least as long as the current generations are alive. It may not seem all that important that our allies respect us and seek our protection, but their main alternative is Vladimir Putin.