By the end of Carter's first term, many Americans had come to see their president as charismatic and commanding. weak and defeated. staunchly conservative. popular and confident.

The answer is weak and defeated.

Explanation:

Jimmy carter became president of the United States in 1976. He was little known before he started his campaign for the presidency and had no experience with the federal government.

When Carter was eventually sworn into office he gradually began having problems due to his inexperience. In fact, the problems were  overwhelming (stronger than he could handle).

As a result Carter failed to secure re-election (a defeat) after his first term in office because voters (Americans) realized that he was indeed weak and prone to defeats due to his inexperience.