President Donald Trump on Wednesday gave a speech that was long on self-congratulation, but thin on concrete diplomatic victories from his 12-day Asia trip—and silent on everyone’s most pressing question, whether Trump still supports Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.
The president spoke in glowing terms about the receptions he received across the region, where he said he was met with “incredible warmth, hospitality, and most important, respect.”
Trump also argued that America’s reputation “has never been stronger” and that, under his leadership, the problems he had inherited on the world stage were on the mend.
“Some of these mistakes were born of indifference and neglect, others from naïve thinking and misguided judgement,” Trump said. “But the one common thread behind all of these problems was a failure to protect and promote the interests of the American people and American workers.”
He also repeated his administration’s stock phrases about the threat of North Korea (“Time is running out, and all options are on the table”) and about trade policy (“Fair and reciprocal trade. So important”).
As the speech ended, reporters shouted questions about whether Trump thought Moore, who has been accused of assaulting multiple women, should step aside from the election. Trump did not answer as he left the room.
