That's what these others countries do perforce. They don't have to take that giant step back. They are already back, which makes them more objective judges - just as you are suggesting Americans themselves do.
I would suggest that it's different from the outside looking in, as opposed being inside and looking out.
And they attribute their loss of confidence to Trump and his performance as president.
Yes, but Trump has been President for less than six months. It's too soon to make any real judgments at this point, so that's what makes me think that some people aren't really looking at the big picture. And a lot of this "image" is fostered by media hype. They're showing us a molehill and telling us it's a mountain. Some of it may be embarrassing, some of it slightly amusing - but seriously, if the world's opinion of America can change
that quickly just because of Trump, that doesn't quite add up.
In any case, they're not looking just at Trump, but at other influential figures and the media in general, many of whom are openly deriding Trump and demonstrating a profound loss of confidence in Trump. Because they're doing this in full view of the outside world, it should be no surprise that their media is reflecting US media, thus shaping the opinions of their own people about America and Trump's apparent role in ruining our image. So, it's kind of a chicken-egg question: Is it Trump or Trump's opponents who are ruining the image of America?