It isn't unusual for the topic to be brought up.

We met some nice people who were visiting from London over the holidays. One of the early things they asked was Why and How did this happen?

In October 2016, a nice pharmacist in Dublin remarked that very politely that we were not wearing "Team Trump" or "Team Clinton" buttons. He lamented our lack of choice (his words). He did not seem to be making fun, but rather sympathizing!

We had a visitor from The Netherlands last May, and he's very well traveled. He thinks that most Europeans are aghast at what's happening to our country.

My brother lives in Spain. He tells me that people are always questioning him about his political leanings and asking how his family feels here in the US. He says he defends our families honor on almost a daily basis!

An Uber driver in London asked me about it, and couldn't understand how we got to this point.

We walked out of a restaurant in Vienna last summer when the waitress made a comment about making America great again. My daughter managed to sneak in a snarky comment, "not all Americans voted for Trump."

A brewery also in Vienna had coasters with Trump in the most orange hair possible, saying "Let’s Make Craft Beer Great Again."

We had lots of conversations about politics in the 4 countries we visited. Most people wanted to hear our opinions of the president. We shared and so did they!

When I was in Macedonia and Albania in the summer of 2016, the people were quite interested in our election and they were hoping for a Clinton win. Many have been trying to come to the US for a long time and felt their chances would be better with Clinton in the White House. These were all educated people who had been working hard to have skills that would make them employable in the US. There were no opportunities in their country. In Spain a woman who was from Great Britain was doing a demonstration for us and made a few remarks about Brexit and Theresa May then commented "but now you've got one of your own".

No one was rude or snarky to us.

I was in Paris during the election and not one person brought up anything political. I'm so glad I was there and not here.

The following spring, I was in both Rome and Paris and it was the same thing with the exception of one of the lovely women that runs the Cat Sanctuary in the Torre di Argentina ruins in Rome, we are on the same page so we had a nice little talk.

I didn't hear one positive comment about Trump over 6 weeks each in Spain in 2016 and 2017. Only sympathy for the US. We were just in Mexico over Christmas, and I can't write on the forum what was printed on some T-shirts.

The people I know in France and my colleagues are aghast. They are also nice about it, but clear in their view.

Over the years I find that even though there are generalities of Americans most people in most countries judge you not on your government. Most judge on the person you are. I did run into one young man in Northern Wales who was very angry about the pull out from the Paris Climate deal. He pretty much focused on anything bad he had ever heard or read that he felt was typical American. On another earlier trip to England a Brit made a comment that Obama would never be elected because Americans would never vote "in" a black man.

All countries have their own problems so I don't overly care what anyone else thinks of our government. If people are not going to like Americans as a whole sometimes it's an ignorance of keeping old stereotypes in their head like...

We are all loud, talk too much, are demanding , glutinous, wasteful and pretenous. Our American ways are encroaching on their ways. We are obsessed with large breasts and are all paranoid of the right of gun ownership.

I mostly do not get involved in our government conversations unless it appears the person has no idea of the vastness and mix that makes America. I sometimes have to remind people that their whole country could fit into Texas ...to put things in perspective. I do it nicely though. And, admit that there are sprinklings of bad in our huge country but that most are good.

Haven't been overseas but our neighbors at our lake place are having visitors from Europe for an extended visit next summer and we are looking forward to hearing what they think about the US. I always enjoy hearing what people from other countries think about the US and I enjoy hearing about their country as well and how it differs. I would expect most are thinking, what the he!! is going on over here and hoping like he!! that we get through the Trump administration without a major world event.

Every.time. ETA (in France, Spain, Morocco and Quebec)

Mostly commiserating, which I appreciated. I really would like to buy this T-shirt:

On a more serious note, it did help me gain perspective. People are not their leadership. Just as I did not want people to ascribe all of T's traits and beliefs to me, many of the people i meet around the world do not agree with their leaders, either. It made me a bit more understanding. Of people abroad in other regimes, and even of R's here.

OTOH, my DH is less forgiving. He oft quotes ""Every country has the government it deserves."

My experience traveling BEFORE Trump was that people look at us as energy-sucking, resource-wasting, racist, selfish, spenders who don't take care of our people (education and healthcare.)

I found myself defending myself as not one of THOSE. It was maddening but a wake-up call. People don't like us (except for Costa Rica who loves us).

When my son travels he pretends he's from another country.

When I travel if politics comes up I just say I am not very political. If they insist I just say due to my job (retired this Oct.) I can't don't talk politics.

Only one international trip in the last year, but we were very secluded at a resort, so no actual comments about the subject. I ski a decent amount and I end up on chair lifts with a lot of international folks, and they comment on it a lot though. Nothing aggressive towards me, but they're genuinely curious about wtf is going on.

One comment I heard regarding how we are perceived is to look at the movies we export to other places. One guy said we imagine ourselves to be like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo -- the little guy defending the good people from the big bad guys like Darth Vader and the storm troopers. However they perceive us as Darth Vader and them as Luke and Han. He told this story not in an angry way but as a way to depict how we are seen. I personally think that is a bit harsh!

Another time we were told that Americans are loud. I think it is hard to generalize since we are such a big country with so many different personalities and ways of behaving. I was mortified by the behavior of some Texans (my apologies to Texans here) at a private club in Brazil. They were SO LOUD and just generally obnoxious. One couple with the group was very uncomfortable and they got up and left.

Americans are louder in public than many other cultures, by my observation.

I am a Texan and I know what you are talking about, Dedtired. I don't know that they are unique to Texas -- or even originally from Texas, but you do run into them from time to time. They do not define Texans as a whole any more than our current president defines all Americans. Thank God for both!

I'm a person who chose to become an American citizen and has no regrets at all about that choice. I still have citizenship to 2 other countries that some here would consider as better alternatives. All but my immediate family live in those 2 countries and none of my immediate family would choose to move back.

As a "foreigner" what I have seen over the years is that people in other countries will always complain about the US and there isn't much middle ground ... the US either does too much and is meddling or the US doesn't do enough and is selfish.

Have not been overseas since the most recent elections, but I do not judge residents of other countries by those running their government and I would hope for the same courtesy. Should my opinion be asked, my only response would be is that the current situation is horrendous, hopefully both parties will have better options next time, although I think that maybe I should follow functionthenlook's lead in future responses. :) Agree that some of our fellow Americans can be very loud, I remember years back traveling with a group where there was a very loud couple that were basically every stereotype of "awful Americans", it was quite embarrassing. Last oversea's trip we did a Mediterranean cruise and it seemed as though a group of Scot's definitely were the loud ones, but then again not too many Americans on the ship for comparison.

In Japan earlier this year, there was discussion of Trump along the lines of "what on Earth happened?" People were definitely concerned about the escalation of nuclear tensions with North Korea. At the time, though, there was a lot on TV about France's President Macron and his marriage, so that might have taken away some of the focus from Trump.

The hotel we use to stay at in St Maatens was mostly Canadians and a few from the Netherlands. Sometimes we were the only Americans on the resort. When a Canadian got to know us they were surprised that we were Americans. My husband and I are nether loud, rude or pushy. When we are abroad we are especially conscious of our behavior. If they brought up the loud subject I just told them the US is large like Canada and it depends on where you come from as if your loud and pushy. In some cities in the US you have to be loud and pushy to get what you need. Now we stay at a hotel in Aruba and it is mostly Americans. I preferred to vacation with the Canadians. They really know how to have a good time dancing, play games, etc without sitting at a bar getting sloppy drunk and being loud.

functionthenlook, wow so much stereotyping!

Just calling it as I see it As I said in my comment it depends on where you are from in the US. And I'm sure not all Canadians are fun to be with, but the ones I met over the years were.

I travel to Paris every year and have many friends there, both expats and French. The store owners, my landlord and restaurant owners remember me by my repeat visits. The BHV Department store gave me a discount membership club to use because I always shop there for my grandchildren's clothes.

The French and my expat friends are very concerned about -- a fair Democracy, climate, health care, alienation of NATO allies such as France, UK and Germany, and very much fear nuclear wars. Those concerns are openly discussed. They don't ask as much about immigration issues, but are very concerned about overall human rights.

A gay couple, who've been together 40 years, are the most concerned about their rights, as are their many friends, who are now my friends, too.

While in London and the Cotswolds, only a few asked about our politics. One woman in a country shop was all for Brexit and made some rather racist comments to me for why she was for it.

I'll be in northeast Italy and Venice in the spring and Sicily and Rome in the fall, so I'll find out how it goes. I'll be meeting up with friends who have friends living in Italy.

As far as attitudes toward me, I don't call attention to myself and I've found people on the street in Paris, who may come up to me to ask for directions, will speak to me in French or ask if I'm Dutch or German.

When there, I blend in with neutral clothes (black, navy or grey), use my eating utensils the way they do. I know the culture well enough to avoid a faux pas. I'm polite and speak French well enough to greet in their language, order food, etc.

So -- I've not experienced any negativity directed toward me. No harassment, no rudeness, etc. I don't see anti-American signs, but I've seen a lot of anti-Trump articles and posters.

Been to Sweden, France, England and Canada in the last year. Yes, the topic does come up, with taxi/Uber drivers, fellow passengers, etc. Not with ill will or negativity, but with incomprehension, empathy and downright alarm. Often tinged with humor. When people ask with disbelief how did this happen, we simply look at them with equal befuddlement.

We were in Brazil last June, and no one asked us about politics, but then I do not speak Portuguese and went with a friend who is fluent who invited me to go with him on his business trip. I do speak Italian, Spanish, and French (limited French), but that was little help there, and I am now trying to learn a bit of Portuguese so that I can go back. People in Brazil seemed more concerned with their own problems, and there was a rather large demonstration in Copacabana while we were there. I did not notice any other American tourists, probably because we were there during what Americans would consider off-season (Brazilian winter, our summer).

We were in Italy June 2016 during the Orlando shooting, which we learned about on the TV in Siena. No one really mentioned politics in Italy to us, but I did walk through a newscast in one of the piazzas in front of some Italian government building in Rome and was able to see myself on the evening news.

Mexico is a completely different story, and I hear constant complaints when I am there, but then I have a lot of friends there who feel comfortable talking about politics. We're going to Fiji next month, and I doubt I will hear anything political while there.

I don't usually stand out as an American tourist when traveling, and I have also had people speak French to me as if I would understand. When people ask where I am from, I say "California", as I identify with my state more than I do with the whole country. When I visit Seattle, however, people always ask me where I am from, whereas people in Vancouver think I live there. People in Texas ask me where I am from, and I grew up in Texas. I've had people on the street in Mexico City ask me directions.

I went to China December 2016, so after T was elected but before inauguration so that made me feel a little better about our trip. Still, he managed to make some comments that made things a little more tense regarding the South China Sea. We tried to stay away from politics but were talking with a student that everyone wants America to succeed but we have different approaches as to how that might come about. So, that was about that.

Don't know if any of you caught this in your social media, but this German Der Spiegel cover and the explanation are brutal:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-age-of-fire-and-fury-latest-der-spiegel-trump-cover-explained-a-1187633.html

"Humanity as a whole is being set back just because of one single person. The achievements of decades - the fight against a climate disaster, against the nuclear threat, for equality between men and women, between blacks and whites and so on and so on. Where is the world supposed to start again if it manages to survive Donald Trump?"

Der Spiegel has had several brilliant covers of that ilk. Has he learned how to say "gefälschte Nachrichten" yet?