It could seem that they certainly are taking a turn for the worse, in many aspects.
Economy going to shit, several developing world tier cities such as Detroit, the highest prison population in the entire world, disproportionate use of force and punishment for petty crimes, mass shootings being a regular thing, massive surveillance, lack of due process.
For us Europeans, a lot is just so fucking alien, and a lot of things that are going on have very negative connotations for us, such as the NSA surveillance, because we have things such as Eastern Germany fresh in memory and we know that shit ain't good.
While far from a full on third world police state, The US simply share a lot of elements with authoritarian shitholes, and it is becoming more and more evident for Europeans.
There is a lot of media coverage in Europe on things that would never be accepted here, such as civil asset forefeitfure, private prison owners, retarded judges and obviously unreasonable jury decision, not to mention the ongoing anti-abortion fad and creationism being taught as truth.
I also think the rampant anti-intellectualism on both sides of the political spectrum, but particularly on the religious right, makes us draw an unconscious parallel between the US and theocracies such as Iran. Anti-intellectualism is a trait shared with Islamic countries, which, contrary to what basement dwellers will tell you, most Europeans fucking hate.
To most Europeans, US politics is way too influenced by religion. That's not because most Europeans are fedora tipping atheists, it's because even to devoted Catholics, US politics just seems to batshit insane.