U.S. global favorability has declined sharply since the U.S.-Israel war against Iran began in late February, according to reporting from multiple outlets tracking international public opinion. The linked Washington Post article documents a contrast in Angola — Catholics there express strong approval for Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, but significant disapproval of Trump over the Iran conflict. The post's characterization of the war is accurate per Politico, Reuters, and Axios reporting on the February 2026 escalation, though the framing conflates Trump and Netanyahu's decisions without fully exploring the underlying strategic disagreements between them (Trump has recently restricted Israeli bombing while Netanyahu initially resisted these constraints).