Overview
- President Trump described Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping as tough, smart leaders who must be taken seriously and “cannot be toyed with.”
- He said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would not have happened under his leadership and blamed President Joe Biden for the conflict.
- Trump highlighted what he called a rebuilt U.S. military and noted that American-made weapons are being used in the Ukraine war.
- He defended his trade strategy with China and cited a 10 percentage-point cut in tariffs on Chinese goods, from 57% to 47%, as a good-faith gesture after talks with Xi in South Korea.
- Trump said tariffs would not be effective leverage on Russia and asserted that Putin wants to trade with the United States to “make a lot of money for Russia.”