It's not a matter of my ideology. I recognize that the US was the most powerful country in the world before the pandemic, but looking at the news about the US response, I have a feeling it will no longer be once the coronavirus is finally dealt with. Then again, maybe I'm just biased by the disproportionate amount of headlines the US is taking in international media.
I think you need to look at individual US states vs the US as a whole. The federal government doesn't really have authority to do everything that other country's federal governments do. For example its generally accepted that the federal government cannot force every citizen to be in lockdown while the states can.
The lack of a social net and out of control capitalism are also massive issues.
The president was downplaying the virus.
The US doesn't look like the most powerful country in the world, nor as a leader.
Besides, China would need to grow its power a lot to even be able to fit the same tier that US does today. And if they can't or don't want to, then the end result is likely a more decentralized world. Not every era is "Pax ..." - there are long gaps in between the fall of the old empire and the rise of a new one.
People still remember Soviet-style "social harmony" and there's a big allergy for that path.
Rapid growth is not exactly popular too for multiple reasons.
Growth-over-ecology brings bad memories from soviet era
Growth-over-labour-rights brings bad memories from 90s and somewhat soviet era
Rapid change itself brings bad memories from 90s and 00s too
OP was claiming "The US doesn't look like the most powerful country in the world, nor as a leader.". If US doesn't count for him.. I'd say China is 3rd world country compared to US.