World saw America’s renewed confidence, Trump says after Asia tour

Washington, Nov 16 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has called his recent Asia tour, that took him to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines, a "tremendous success".

Trump said on Wednesday the "great respect" he received from foreign leaders was "evidence that America's renewed confidence and standing in the world has never been stronger than it is right now", Efe news reported.

In a speech at the White House a day after returning from his 12-day trip, Trump emphasized said: "When we are confident in ourselves, our strength, our flag, our history, our values - other nations are confident in us... (and) this is exactly what the world saw -- a strong, proud, and confident America."

The President said that the challenges facing Washington on the world stage were "inherited" from past US administrations, the leaders of which he did not name.

These challenges, he said, are the result of "mistakes ... born of indifference and neglect. Others from na?ve thinking and misguided judgement. In some cases, the negative influence of partisan politics and special interests was to blame."

"But the one common thread behind all of these problems," he said, "was a failure to protect and promote the interests of the American people and American workers."

These were the first public remarks Trump had made after his Asia trip and he discussed the various stops he made throughout the region, saying that in every country he has visited so far as president "I have worked to advance American interests and leadership in the world."

The President also repeated his standard warning about the North Korean threat, saying: "Time is running out, and all options are on the table," and emphasized that "fair and reciprocal trade" is "so important" to the US and to US workers.