Nov. 15 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said Wednesday the United States' standing in the world has "never been stronger" than right now.
Speaking for the first time since returning from Asia, Trump said he worked to "advance American interest" during his trip and was treated with great respect while meeting with leaders of five different nations.
"Everywhere we went, our foreign hosts greeted the American delegation and myself included with incredible warmth and hospitality and most importantly respect," he said. "This great respect showed very well, our country is further evidence that America's renewed confidence and standing in the world have never been stronger than it is right now."
Trump went on to say he believes his portrayal of a "strong, proud, and confident America" inspired confidence in the countries he visited.
"When we are confident in ourselves, our strength, our flag, our history, our values, other nations are confident in us. And when we treat our citizens with the respect they deserve, other countries treat America with the respect that our country so richly deserves," he said.
He also said he told world leaders he met with about how well the United States is doing economically, bringing up stock market figures and 3 percent growth in the country's growth domestic product.
Trump criticized "previous mistakes" by "other administrations," saying they failed to protect American interests.
"But the one common thread behind all of these problems was a failure to protect and promote the interests of American people and American workers," he said.
Trump visited Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines during his 12-day trip and met with leaders met with leaders Shinzo Abe (Japan), Xi Jinping (China), Tran Dai Quang (Vietnam) and Rodrigo Duterte (Philippines) while generating an estimated $300 billion in trade agreements.
