President Trump is consuming himself with foreign policy matters as the first year of his second term comes to a close, even as concerns about the U.S. economy are set to consume the Republican Party in 2026.
Trump is spending the final weeks of the year at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The president announced military strikes against ISIS in Nigeria on Christmas Day, and he revealed the U.S. had hit a Venezuelan facility on Dec. 26 amid escalating tensions with the South American country.
The chain of events underscores Trump’s focus on foreign policy and cementing his legacy abroad in his second term. But the attention may come at the expense of one of the biggest domestic issues.
One Republican strategist, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said Trump and the White House will need to make the argument directly to voters about what they’ve done to help boost their financial outlook since taking office.
“Trump is focused on foreign affairs. Where’s his energy been?” the strategist said. “It’s just kind of a weird time for a voter; you don’t really have someone trying to make the argument.”
That international focus was on full display Monday, when the president met with Netanyahu.
When the Israeli leader arrived, Trump fielded questions for several minutes, nearly all of which were focused on global conflicts.
He addressed a recent U.S. strike on what he called the “implementation area” in Venezuela for alleged drug boats. He discussed ongoing efforts to maintain a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. He addressed his “productive” call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and he took a question about potential Israeli strikes against Iran.
As reporters entered the room for a lunch between Trump and Netanyahu, Trump could be heard explaining to the prime minister how he used trade to end a conflict between two countries.
“Do I get credit for it? No,” Trump said. “I did eight of them. How about India and Pakistan? So, I did eight of them. And they don’t tell you the rest of it.”
Trump’s Monday meeting with Netanyahu came one day after he hosted Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago for high-stakes discussions about a peace proposal to end the fighting in Ukraine. Trump had suggested earlier in the month that the president of Egypt may also visit him at his Florida estate before the new year.
Trump’s end-of-year meetings are reflective of the first year of his second term, during which the president traveled to Italy, the Vatican, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Korea and Malaysia to work on peace agreements and trade deals.
He worked for months to broker a ceasefire agreement in the Middle East to end the fighting between Israel and Hamas. He has had several calls throughout the year with Zelensky and Putin, as well as an in-person summit with Putin in Alaska, in an attempt to stop the fighting in Ukraine.
The president’s allies openly campaigned for him to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, while others, including Netanyahu and the head of FIFA, have looked to earn Trump’s favor by honoring him with awards to highlight his international efforts.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who has for months criticized Trump’s focus on foreign affairs and will resign from Congress next week after a break with the president, took notice of how Trump has been spending his time.
“Zelensky today. Netanyahu tomorrow. Can we just do America?” Greene posted Sunday on the social platform X.
White House officials have pushed back on criticism that Trump is disproportionately focused on foreign affairs. They have pointed to the president’s slew of executive orders cracking down on immigration; the passage of a massive tax and spending bill over the summer; and efforts to lower prescription drug prices through “most favored nation” agreements with pharmaceutical companies.
Trump’s allies have also made the case that the president’s actions abroad are benefiting the U.S. domestically. They have pointed to both the trade agreements Trump has made with places such as the European Union, Japan and the United Kingdom, and to the idea that confronting Venezuela guards the U.S. against drugs and illegal immigration.
But polling has shown voters have not necessarily rewarded Trump for his focus on foreign policy.
A Quinnipiac University poll published earlier this month found Trump’s overall approval with voters was underwater, with just 40 percent of survey respondents saying they approved of his performance. The poll found 41 percent approved of his handling of foreign policy, compared with 54 percent who disapproved.
But strategists largely agreed the midterm elections in November are likely to be determined more by how voters feel about the economy than how they feel about Trump’s foreign policy accomplishments.
And while the White House has pointed to cooling inflation and strong gross domestic product numbers as evidence Trump’s economic vision is working, polling has shown most voters aren’t feeling the same way.
The Quinnipiac poll found 40 percent of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, compared with 57 percent who disapproved. That poll was in line with others that similarly showed voters souring on Trump’s work on the economy.