The power of sharing power: Presidential character, power mutuality, and country reputation

Abstract

Using the context of the United States’ (U.S.) President Donald Trump’s promotion of an America First agenda, this study conducted an online survey (n = 511) in Australia to explore the dynamics among Australians’ perceptions of presidential character, power mutuality, and U.S. country reputation. Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were conducted to explore and validate the construct of power mutuality. The findings indicate that power mutuality consists of two dimensions: perceived power balance and perceived power dominance. Results from Structural Equation Modeling revealed that power mutuality fully mediates the association between foreign publics’ perceptions of presidential character and the governmental aspect of country reputation. It partially mediates the association between presidential character and the non-governmental aspect of country reputation. The implications of these findings on relationship management in public diplomacy are discussed.