'In 7 months, we stopped 7 wars': Trump boasts foreign policy wins at White House dinner

US President Donald Trump on Friday asserted that his administration had achieved unprecedented foreign policy successes, claiming, “Nobody has done what we have done in seven months, a little more than seven months. When you think of it, we stopped seven wars.”

Trump made the remarks while hosting Republican lawmakers at a White House dinner, linking his diplomatic achievements abroad to an assertive domestic security agenda.

Despite ongoing legal challenges, the president pledged to extend the use of federal force in cities grappling with crime surges, including Portland, Chicago, and New Orleans.

“Washington DC, it was the most unsafe city anywhere in the country, our capital. And after 12 days, it became known as a safe city,” Trump said, referencing his June decision to place the city’s Metropolitan Police under federal control and deploy the National Guard—a move challenged by the city’s Democratic leadership.

He warned of escalating violence in other cities. “When you look at Chicago, you have a governor that says things are okay with crime. Except that last weekend, 11 people were killed, and 68 people were wounded by gunshot,” Trump said. “We are going to make some other choices pretty soon.”

Portland was described as “burning to the ground,” with Trump blaming the unrest on “professional paid agitators” allegedly funded by the political left. “We are going to stop them. We are going to stop it all,” he said.

New Orleans is also on the administration’s domestic security list. “We are going to come into New Orleans, and we are going to make that place so safe... You are going to be safe within two weeks,” he promised, calling the city’s crime a series of “headaches like murders.”

Trump also referenced foreign policy challenges, highlighting Eastern Europe. “The war that I thought was going to be the easiest is probably the most difficult, that is Ukraine and Russia.”

On the economy, he projected optimism, stating, “We are going to have over USD 17 trillion, and that number is going to go much higher than that, invested in our country.”

The dinner, dubbed the “Rose Garden Club,” hosted roughly 100 members of Congress, mostly House Republicans and a few GOP senators. The redesigned outdoor space, outfitted with tables and umbrellas reminiscent of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, served as a backdrop for discussions on peace, policy, and investment.

Trump also touched on personal matters, addressing media speculation about his health. “The fake news was at it again,” he said, adding that he had conducted a “three-hour press conference” to dispel rumors.

The event followed a meeting with tech leaders including Bill Gates, Tim Cook, and Mark Zuckerberg, which was moved indoors due to rain. “I had the high-tech guys here, and they didn’t want to have rain on top of their beautiful heads,” Trump joked.