Donald Trump’s week commenced with an uncharacteristic outburst during a discussion regarding escalating tensions involving Iran and a fragile ceasefire with Israel.
However, the week concluded with a visibly triumphant US president holding court at the White House in not one, but two celebratory addresses, highlighting a series of significant political achievements both domestically and internationally.
President Trump, in a buoyant mood, engaged with reporters for over an hour in a press conference that effectively served as a comprehensive summary of his recent successes.
Here’s a review of four notable victories from the past week, alongside a reminder of challenges that did not entirely align with the president’s objectives.
Following the successful US military action against Iranian nuclear facilities on June 21st, President Trump announced a “complete and total” ceasefire just three days later in what he described as the “12-day war” between Israel and Iran.
The initiative faced initial setbacks. Shortly before the announcement, Iran launched ballistic missiles toward a US airbase in Qatar, raising concerns about a broader conflict in the Persian Gulf.
Even after the ceasefire was implemented, its stability appeared precarious. Accusations of violations quickly surfaced from both sides, leading to a heated exchange with reporters on the White House lawn.
President Trump acknowledged that he narrowly persuaded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cease further attacks on Iran.
Ultimately, the ceasefire held, allowing the president to confidently assert that his strategic military decision involving a strike on Iran had been effective, presenting evidence of his role as a “peacemaker” – a much-needed accomplishment as peace efforts in both Gaza and Ukraine continue to face obstacles.
En route to the Netherlands for the NATO summit, President Trump received a text message from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, praising him for the strikes on Iran – messages the president readily shared publicly.
During his visit to the summit, US allies committed to allocating 5% of their respective GDP to defense spending, an objective the president had consistently and openly advocated.
During a joint press conference, Rutte playfully referred to Trump as “Daddy,” alluding to the president’s role in brokering the ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
President Trump appeared to embrace the nickname.
“I think he likes me. If he doesn’t… I’ll come back and hit him hard,” Trump remarked at a news conference, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio laughing beside him. “He did it very affectionately.”
Shortly thereafter, the White House disseminated several videos featuring a triumphant-looking Trump, accompanied by the caption “daddy’s home.”
President Trump’s week concluded positively with the Supreme Court’s ruling that limits judges’ authority to block presidential orders nationwide.
While the ruling originated from a case concerning President Trump’s ability to terminate birthright citizenship for children of some immigrants, its implications are far-reaching. It will become more challenging for lower courts to challenge President Trump’s domestic agenda through what Attorney General Pam Bondi characterized as an “endless barrage” of injunctions.
At an impromptu press conference, the president hailed the ruling as a “monumental victory for the constitution, the separation of powers, and the rule of law.”
The decision empowers him to pursue various other policy initiatives that had been previously thwarted by injunctions, including the freezing of funds to “sanctuary cities,” the suspension of refugee resettlement, and the prevention of taxpayer money from being used for gender affirmation surgeries.
The president smiled and made jokes, inviting reporters to ask more questions, as his aides – including Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt – sat smiling beside him.
“This was a tremendous win, and we’ve had tremendous wins,” he said at the end. “But this was a tremendous win today.”
On Friday afternoon, President Trump met with the foreign ministers of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, who earlier in the day signed a peace accord aimed at resolving decades of conflict between the two nations.
Further details are limited, and previous peace agreements in the region have faltered – yet that has not deterred the US and Congolese presidents from portraying this as a generational victory.
“Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity,” Trump said.
The agreement also facilitates access to critical minerals in the region for the US government and American companies.
“I was able to get them together and sell it,” Trump said. “And not only that, we’re getting for the United States a lot of the mineral rights from the Congo.”
At his earlier news conference Trump had admitted he knew few details about the conflict, which is far from the minds of most Americans.
“I’m a little bit out of my league… because I don’t know too much about it,” he said. “I know one thing. They were going at it for many years, and with machetes.”
The week has not been without its challenges for President Trump.
The president’s primary legislative objective – a substantial tax bill he has termed the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” – has encountered several obstacles.
President Trump has repeatedly urged lawmakers to expedite its passage to his desk for enactment by July 4th, Independence Day in the US.
However, earlier this week, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough indicated that certain provisions contravened Senate rules, casting doubt on billions of dollars in proposed cuts.
“This is part of the process. This part is part of the workings of the United States Senate,” Karoline Leavitt said earlier this week. “But the president is adamant about seeing this bill on his desk here at the White House by Independence Day.”
While President Trump has touted the ceasefires in Iran – as well as those in central Africa and last month between Pakistan and India – as successes, he has yet to achieve his two primary objectives for peace: in Gaza and Ukraine.
“We’re working on that one,” Trump said of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine at Friday’s news conference, where he did not mention Gaza.
Even the end of US military involvement in Iran is not guaranteed.
During the news conference, President Trump was asked by the BBC whether he would consider bombing Iran again if he believed they were re-starting their nuclear programme.
“Sure, without question, absolutely,” he responded.
Intense US-Canada negotiations for a potential new trade and security deal have hit a snag ahead of a mid-July deadline.
It is unclear if the dozens of armed groups in eastern DRC will accept a ceasefire.
US officials have denied claims that a Norwegian man was sent home because of a meme – but the case has raised international questions.
The US has historically given automatic citizenship to anyone born in the country, but this principle is not the norm globally.
The deal has been hailed by President Trump as “a great day” but there are potential pitfalls.