Trump's Triumphant Week

The past few days have showcased a whirlwind of success for President Donald Trump.

On May 10, India and Pakistan agreed to an immediate ceasefire, which Trump praised on social media as a consequence of "common sense and great intelligence" by representatives from both sides, while acknowledging that a more lasting peace remains a delicate prospect.

On May 12, the Trump administration won another victory in court, as the United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the IRS could share taxpayer information about migrants residing in the U.S. with the Department of Homeland Security in matters related to criminal investigations, just as it can for U.S. citizens. (The ruling does not apply to civil deportation proceedings.)

That same day, Trump signed an executive order requiring that the United States receive "Most Favored Nation" status with respect to pharmaceutical drug prices. Americans pay some of the highest prices in the world for drugs -- including those that are manufactured in our own country. Trump's order mandates that Americans be charged no more than the citizens of other countries, and the intention is that this will dramatically reduce drug prices.

Also on May 12, the U.S. Treasury announced that customs duties from Trump's tariffs exceeded $16 billion for the month of April and have brought in more than $63 billion for the first four months of 2025. Even better news is that the 12-month inflation rate dropped to 2.3% last month: lower than expected, and the lowest rate since 2021. (For those paying attention, egg prices are continuing to drop too.)

The United States and China announced a tentative trade deal, opening China up for more participation by U.S. businesses, along with a substantial -- if temporary -- reduction in mutual tariffs, a move that global markets, including America's stock indices, responded to favorably.

And Edan Alexander, the last American hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, was released and reunited with his family this week.

The culmination of Trump's triumphant week has been his trip to the Middle East, beginning with the remarkable welcome he received in Saudi Arabia. Air Force One was escorted into Riyadh by Saudi F-15s. Upon arrival, the Saudis rolled out the red (actually, purple) carpet for Trump, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greeted Trump in person on the tarmac (an honor visibly absent when former President Joe Biden visited the country in 2022). Trump's motorcade was then accompanied by Saudi ceremonial soldiers on horseback, carrying American flags. Later, Trump and bin Salman announced a commitment to invest $600 billion in American interests, in exchange for which Trump promised military support for Saudi Arabia, and to lift U.S. sanctions on war-torn Syria. Trump is also gently pressuring the Saudi government to officially recognize Israel (a major foreign policy accomplishment that would surely warrant the Nobel Peace Prize if Trump can pull it off). He also offered an "olive branch" to Iran but warned of a different tack if Iran continued its sponsorship of terror and pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Trump's address to Saudi dignitaries on Tuesday evening was positive and forward-looking. "Before our eyes," he said, "a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts and tired divisions of the past, and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism; and where people of different nations, religions, and creeds are building cities together -- not bombing each other out of existence."

Trump credited the Saudis and others with the vision and capabilities of building glittering cities like Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, and criticized western "nation-builders," "neo-cons," and administrators of "liberal nonprofits," who fly in on private jets and offer advice despite knowing little about countries other than their own. Trump also distanced himself from his predecessors, saying that "far too many American presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it's our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use U.S. policy to dispense justice for their sins. ... I believe it is God's job to sit in judgement -- my job (is) to defend America and to promote the fundamental interests of stability, prosperity and peace."

This is what it looks like when Americans have an administration that is interested in our interests. It hasn't been like this since Ronald Reagan was president, and perhaps not even then. Americans have endured decades of governments -- Democrat and Republican alike -- that professed to want peace, while funding endless wars; claimed to care about the "working man" and the "middle class" while creating political incentives for American companies to ship manufacturing abroad; provided military security for countless other nations, yet tolerated trade policies with foreign countries that penalized American companies, American workers and American consumers but never used the leverage we've always had to demand fairness for us.

The administrations of George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Biden -- as well as many of the members of Congress who served during those administrations -- made excuses for failing the American people while they enriched themselves and their cronies, launched wars that killed millions (and made refugees of millions more) while bankrupting American taxpayers whose money paid for it; looked the other way while aid agencies who were supposed to be helping the poor were used to generate kickbacks and pursue globalist economic and political aims; and allowed (or outright encouraged) the corruption of offices charged with the responsibilities for public health, law enforcement and immigration. And this is without getting into the failed domestic policies addressing poverty, public education, substance abuse, homelessness and crime -- matters that should have been our government's first priorities: before war, before trade, before immigration or international development.

Trump's victories are America's victories. In matters of foreign policy, it appears that they are also victories for the countries that agree to do deals with us on Trump's terms. This bodes well for what his administration is trying to do domestically; here's hoping he can get it done.

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To find out more about Laura Hollis and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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