// LEADERS' VIEWS DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES
US strategy is coalescing around economic strength, military power and global competition
I n 1 year, our agenda has produced a transformation like America has not seen in over 100 years … With tariffs, we’ve radically reduced our ballooning trade deficit, which was the largest in world history … We’ve made historic trade deals with partners covering 40 percent of all U.S. trade … Under my leadership, U.S. natural gas production is at an all time high, by far. U.S. oil production is up by 730,000 barrels a day … And we’re leading the world in AI [artificial intelligence] by a lot. We’re leading China by a lot … We want strong allies, not seriously weakened ones. We want Europe to be strong. Ultimately, these are matters of national security, and perhaps no cur- rent issue makes the situation more clear than what’s currently going on with Greenland … But I also inherited a mess with Ukraine and Russia … I know [Russian president Vladimir] Putin very well. He and I would discuss Ukraine. It was the apple of his eye. But he wasn’t going to do anything … Until I came along, NATO [the North Atlantic Treaty Organization] was only supposed to pay 2 percent of GDP [gross domestic product], but they weren’t paying. Most of the countries weren’t paying anything … I got NATO to pay 5 percent … Thousands of businesses are being built … Hundreds of big factories, car plants are moving back to the United States. They’re coming in from Canada. They’re coming in from Mexico, from Japan. Japan is coming in and build- ing plants here in order to avoid tariffs. They’re coming in from China. They’re coming in from all over the world … I’ve always had a very good relation- ship with [China’s] President Xi [Jinping] and with President Putin … I’ve always had a very good relationship with Presi- dent Xi of China … We’re helping them with Ukraine.
Without us, I think Putin would have gone all the way … World Economic Forum, 21 January 2026 This July 4th, we will mark two and a half centuries of liberty and triumph, progress and freedom, in the most incredible and exceptional nation ever to exist on the face of the Earth. And you’ve seen nothing yet … This is the golden age of America … One of the primary reasons for our country’s stunning economic turnaround, the biggest in history … were tariffs … Many of the wars I settled was because of the threat of tariffs … I believe the tariffs, paid for by foreign countries, will, like in the past, substan- tially replace the modern-day system of income tax … As President, I will make peace wher- ever I can, but I will never hesitate to confront threats to America wherever we must. That’s why in a breakthrough operation last June, the United States mil- itary obliterated Iran’s nuclear weapons program with an attack on Iranian soil, known as Operation Midnight Hammer. For decades, it had been the policy of the United States never to allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, many decades. Since they seized control of that proud nation 47 years ago, the regime and its murderous proxies have spread nothing but terrorism and death and hate. They’ve killed and maimed thousands of Amer- ican service members and hundreds of thousands and even millions of people … They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America … After Midnight Hammer, they were warned to make no future attempts to rebuild their weapons program in particu- lar, nuclear weapons, yet they continue starting it all over … And are … again pur- suing their sinister ambitions. My preference … is to solve this prob- lem through diplomacy. But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s
number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far to have a nuclear weapon … We’re also restoring American security and dominance in the Western Hemi- sphere, … from violence, drugs, terrorism and foreign interference. For years, large swaths of territory in our region, includ- ing large parts of Mexico, … have been controlled by murderous drug cartels. That’s why I designated these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and I declared illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. And with our new military campaign, we have stopped record amounts of drugs coming into our country … In January, elite American warriors carried out one of the most complex spectacular feats of military competence and power in world history … And it also opens up a bright new begin- ning for the people of Venezuela. We’re working closely with the new president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, to unleash extraordinary economic gains for both of our countries and to bring new hope to those who have suffered so terribly … When God needs a nation to work his miracles, He knows exactly who to ask … For our destiny is written by the hand of Providence and these first 250 years were just the beginning. State of the Union Address, 24 February 2026. Transcript courtesy of Miller Center, University of Virginia
10 // G7 FRANCE: THE ÉVIAN SUMMIT 2026
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