President Donald Trump has triggered a wave of mixed reactions online after insisting the United States is now the most “respected” and “hottest” country on the planet, even as polling indicates his approval rating has fallen sharply.
The president made the remarks at a “Making America Safe Again” event in Memphis on Monday, where he said he’d received flattering feedback from Saudi Arabia’s leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Trump’s comments came as officials from his administration gathered in Tennessee to highlight the work of the National Guard and federal agents, six months after the creation of the Memphis Safe Task Force.
“Everyone knows we have the greatest, most powerful military in the world,” he began.
“And we have a position where we haven’t seen that we’re respected.”
He went on to argue that the country’s standing abroad has dramatically improved compared with where it was in the recent past.
Trump continued: “A year and a half ago, we were a laughing stock. The King of Saudi Arabia told me, he said, ‘President, I can’t believe what’s happened, to America’.
He then claimed Prince Mohammed praised what he described as a turnaround for the US, and said the Saudi leader used the phrase “hottest country in the world” to describe America’s current status.
“A year ago, everyone thought you were a laughing stock; no one thought you could survive. Now you’re the hottest country anywhere in the world, he used that expression,” he said.
Separately, Prince Mohammed is said to be continuing Trump to push the war in Iran, arguing that the US-Israeli military campaign is a ‘historic opportunity’ for ‘remake’ the Middle East.
Trump: "We're in a position we haven't seen. We're respected. You know, our country now is respected all over the world. A year and half ago we were a laughingstock. The King of Saudi Arabia told me." pic.twitter.com/R9DFdS2ytt
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 23, 2026
Trump’s remarks arrived a day after a Reuters poll reported that his approval rating had dropped by more than 36 percent, marking a four-point dip from the previous week and an 11-point slide from the 47 percent approval he held at the start of his second term.
Online, the comments drew swift pushback, with critics suggesting the president’s view of America’s global reputation is disconnected from reality.
Writing beneath the post on X, another said: “’Respected’ is not quite the word the world had in mind.”
“Trump has made America a pariah,” another wrote.
“The rest of the world hates him. We are now in a position where we support Iran. A year and a half ago, the world respected the U.S. The U.S is now a laughing stock, all because of Trump,” a fourth remarked.
The debate comes as questions continue about how long the conflict involving Israel, the US and Iran could last, with some warning that fighting could drag on for years.