Trump claims Europeans say he could ‘lead them’

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) - US President Donald Trump highlighted his administration’s foreign policy record at a White House gathering Thursday, telling members of Congress that the United States is gaining international respect and has helped address several global conflicts.

Speaking at the Congressional Ball — a long-standing bipartisan tradition that brings members of the House and Senate together at the White House each holiday season — Trump asserted that European leaders increasingly look to Washington for direction.

“The European nations are reporting that your president might as well be the leader of the European nations also,” he said. “They listen to us, and they respect us like they’ve never respected us before.”

Trump also claimed that the US had “solved eight wars."

He said he may need to intervene diplomatically in tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, noting that he would “make a couple of phone calls” to “get that one back on track.”

The president said his administration aims to maintain strong relations worldwide but suggested that some countries had taken advantage of the United States.

“We want to get along with as many nations as we can,” he said. “We’ve been ripped off by a lot of them for a lot of years.”