A GOP or conservative politician who wants to be liked is a fool, guaranteed to lose elections, given the climate of ad hominem hate directed against every non-Progressive from Democrats and their PR wing, the media.
We saw this in 2012 with Mitt Romney - who I liked and voted for, and who would have made a very good president. His fatal flaws: being too nice and non-combative and not realizing he was surrounded by hostile forces a.k.a. "the media".
One cannot cede this territory and expect to win unless one is a charismatic candidate that people like on a visceral level. Romney was not that guy, for the crucial voters he needed to win over.
Likewise, voters make a mistake if they worry about how well-liked their candidates are by others, especially foreigners - it is much more important to be respected, and seen as a leader, for any head of state, and most of all for an American president.