‘I saved this country’: Trump predicts history will remember him for ‘saving’ America

President Donald Trump pointed to his foreign policy and trade record while reflecting on his 11 years of influence in US politics
Trump said he believed his presidency would be remembered for preventing America from further decline (Screengrab/Fox News)
Trump said he believed his presidency would be remembered for preventing America from further decline (Screengrab/Fox News)

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Friday, September 11, said he expects historians to conclude that he “saved the country” when they look back on his political career and presidency.

During an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump was asked how historians might describe the “age of Trump” decades from now, given his “11 years” of influence over US politics. Trump responded by arguing that the country had been “going down” before he took office and credited his policies with reversing that trajectory.

Trump says his presidency saved America from decline

Ingraham asked Trump what he expected historians to write about his political era when books and documentaries are produced decades from now. Trump said he believed the historical assessment would focus on his role in what he described as preventing further decline in the country.

“I think they're going to say I saved the country. I really believe it. I saved this country. This country was going down,” Trump said.



The president then pointed to several foreign policy and trade decisions as examples of his approach, including his actions toward Iran and his decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“What I'm doing with Iran, if I went a different way, those B-2 bombers and my termination of the Barack Hussein Obama deal was a horrible deal, JCPOA, one of the dumbest deals I've ever seen,” Trump said.

Trump also cited his trade policies, including his replacement of the North American Free Trade Agreement with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - SEPTEMBER 11: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks in the courtyard of the Pentagon on September 11, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. The United States is marking the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when a group of al-Qaeda hijackers flew airplanes into the World Trade Center, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 people. (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks in the courtyard of the Pentagon on September 11, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia (Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

“NAFTA, one of the dumbest deals. I terminated NAFTA. We're making a fortune now with Mexico, with Canada. Wait till you see the deal we make with Canada, Mexico,” he said. “What we've done, I've saved the country. This country was going down.”

Trump reflects on his political career and presidency

Ingraham also asked Trump about what he had enjoyed most during his life, prompting him to reflect on his career in business, television and politics. Trump said he had enjoyed his career as a whole and described his decision to enter politics as a departure from a successful business career.



“I look, I enjoyed it all. I've had a great, crazy life,” Trump said. “You know, I ran for politics, and everyone thought I was just doing it for fun, and I wasn't doing it for fun, I had a great business.”

Trump then again praised his own presidential record and offered a warning about what he believed would have happened if Democrats had remained in power.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with U.S. President Joe Biden at Trump's inauguration in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th President of the United States. (Photo by Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)
Donald Trump shakes hands with Joe Biden at Trump's inauguration in the US Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)

“I don't think any president has done what I've done. And ultimately, I think it'll go down I saved the country,” Trump said.

Trump claimed another year under former President Joe Biden or former Vice President Kamala Harris could have had severe consequences.

“They're crazy. If that happened, I really don't believe we would have a country left,” he said.

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