Trump touts U.S. as "most respected country" as he marks six months in office
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he departs the White House on July 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
President Trump touted the U.S. as the "hottest" and "most respected country in the world" on Sunday as he reached the six-month mark of his second White House term.
The big picture: Trump's second term has come with a series of challenges both at home and abroad, though he has seen some successes with the passage of the "big, beautiful bill" and the Supreme Court ruling in his favor in several significant cases.
- In a Truth Social post Sunday, the president claimed his second term is "being hailed as one of the most consequential periods of any President."
- "In other words, we got a lot of good and great things done, including ending numerous wars of Countries not related to us other than through Trade and/or, in certain cases, friendship," he continued.
- "Six months is not a long time to have totally revived a major Country. One year ago our Country was DEAD, with almost no hope of revival. Today the USA is the 'hottest' and most respected Country anywhere in the World. Happy Anniversary!!!" he wrote.
Zoom out: Trump's administration has negotiated three ceasefire deals between six countries since he took office in January, but efforts to generate an agreement between Russia and Ukraine, as well as Israel and Hamas haven't materialized.
- During his 2024 campaign, Trump repeatedly said he would end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours if he returned to the White House.
Between the lines: In a separate Truth Social post, Trump touted his approval ratings, claiming that his numbers among Republicans have gone as high as 95% in "various polls."
- It's unclear which polls the president was referring.
According to Gallup, Trump's June approval rating was 40% among voters across both parties, down from 47% when he took office in January.
- When broken down by party, 86% of Republicans approved of Trump's job as president in June. 36% of Independents and 1% of Democrats agreed.
- A CBS News/You Gov poll published Sunday showed similar numbers. Overall, the president had a 42% approval rating, with 89% of GOP, 32% of Independents and 5% of Democrats giving their approval.
Zoom out: Trump said in his post that his numbers had been boosted by "Radical Left Democrats" exposing the "Jeffrey Epstein hoax."
- No polling conducted since he ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to release grand jury transcripts related to Epstein has yet been made public.
- "People like Strong Borders, and all of the many other things I have done. GOD BLESS AMERICA. MAGA!," Trump added in his post.
