Since President Trump took office in January 2025, the United States has improved its strategic position in the world, despite media framing to the contrary. The United States captured Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro and now controls much of the oil exported from Venezuela. In the Iran conflict, U.S. strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, curtailed China’s supply of cheap oil, and collapsed the economy on which the Islamic regime depends.
Washington signed a defense agreement with Denmark, achieving crucial U.S. policy objectives without having to buy Greenland. The United States maintained its ban on exporting the most advanced AI chips to China and expanded military cooperation with Australia and the Philippines to counter the People’s Liberation Army.
Most of these achievements cost little or no taxpayer money. Fewer than 20 U.S. soldiers have been killed, and the U.S. mainland has not been attacked.
On September 22, 2026, the United States, Denmark, and Greenland signed an agreement granting the U.S. permanent military access to Greenland while affirming Danish sovereignty. The agreement allows the U.S. to expand Pituffik Space Base, establish additional defense areas, and use Greenland’s airspace and territorial waters.
It also restricts countries outside NATO from establishing a military presence or gaining control over mining and critical infrastructure, protecting Greenland’s rare earth reserves from Chinese influence. The agreement strengthens U.S. missile defense and control of the strategically important GIUK gap without requiring the United States to purchase Greenland or make any payment to Denmark or Greenland.
In Venezuela, Delta Force captured Nicolás Maduro at Miraflores Palace on January 3, 2026, during Operation Absolute Resolve. He was flown to the USS Iwo Jima and later transferred to New York. On January 5, he pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court to narco-terrorism charges.
Before the raid, more than half of Venezuela’s daily oil exports of 768,000 barrels went to China, much of it at discounted prices. China had also lent Venezuela about $60 billion. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the United States would control oil sales, redirecting barrels from China to the United States. Venezuela’s oil exports now go primarily to the United States and India.
U.S.-controlled oil sales raised more than $13 billion by July 30, with the money held in U.S. Treasury accounts. About $3 billion had been released to Venezuela. Trump said the proceeds “paid for that war many times over.” Oil exports reached 1.2 million barrels a day, a seven-year high.
Investment has focused on expanding production. On September 2, Chevron announced a $7 billion investment to double its Venezuelan output. The country’s refineries remain below capacity and would require at least $20 billion to restore. JPMorgan projects production could reach 2.5 million barrels a day within a decade, while Goldman Sachs estimates that output of 2 million barrels a day would lower oil prices by about $4 per barrel by 2030.
In Iran, a joint U.S.-Israeli operation killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei early on February 28, 2026, in his leadership compound in central Tehran. About 40 senior officials were killed with him, including armed forces chief of staff Abdolrahim Mousavi, IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour, Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, and adviser Ali Shamkhani. National security chief Ali Larijani was killed on March 17.
Before the war, China bought an estimated 1.4 million barrels of discounted Iranian oil per day. The conflict and U.S. restrictions sharply curtailed those shipments, cutting Chinese refiners off from much of their cheap Iranian crude. The loss of oil revenue and intensified U.S. sanctions helped drive Iran’s foreign trade down 35 percent while inflation reached 66 percent, leaving the regime’s economy in crisis.
Mojtaba Khamenei, Ali Khamenei’s son and successor, was injured on the first day of the war. CNN reported that he suffered a fractured foot and facial lacerations. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said he was “wounded and likely disfigured”, while a source familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments told Reuters that he may have lost a leg. The details remain unclear because Mojtaba has made no public appearance in more than six months. He did not attend his father’s public funeral ceremonies in July, although his three brothers did. He governs through written statements, and Iranian authorities attribute his absence to security concerns.
On China chip policy, Nvidia’s Blackwell GPUs, its most advanced chips, remain banned from export to China. On May 13, 2025, the Commerce Department warned that using Huawei Ascend chips could carry legal risks. It also issued guidance against allowing U.S. chips to train Chinese AI models or be diverted to China.
On January 13, 2026, Commerce began reviewing export license applications for the older Nvidia H200 and AMD MI325X chips case by case. On June 1, it clarified that licensing requirements cover all China-headquartered companies, including their overseas subsidiaries.
The United States also strengthened military and economic cooperation with Australia. A Pentagon review completed in December 2025 kept the AUKUS pact in place. In April 2026, the U.S. Navy awarded Electric Boat a $197 million contract, with options worth up to $930 million, to support the transfer of submarines to Australia. U.S. submarines are scheduled to begin rotating through HMAS Stirling, near Perth, in 2027. Australia will receive three used Virginia-class submarines, with the first arriving in 2032.
In October 2025, the two countries signed a critical-minerals framework providing at least $1 billion in joint financing and pledged to restrict Chinese purchases of new mining assets. Australia is also moving to reclaim Darwin Port, where about 2,500 U.S. Marines rotate each year, from Chinese-owned Landbridge. The company has held a 99-year lease since 2015 and filed an arbitration claim against Australia in April 2026.
The United States and the Philippines have been treaty allies since 1951 and have expanded military cooperation since 2025 to deter China. In April 2025, the U.S. deployed NMESIS missiles to the Philippines during the Balikatan exercises. On October 31, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro announced Task Force Philippines to counter Chinese coercion in the South China Sea.
The FY2026 U.S. defense bill authorized $500 million annually in military financing for the Philippines through FY2030, totaling $2.5 billion. The United States has also proposed an ammunition facility at Subic Bay. In August 2026, U.S. defense officials called the Philippines a “model ally.”
Japan has joined this expanding regional cooperation. Its Reciprocal Access Agreement with the Philippines took effect in September 2025, becoming Japan’s first with an Asian country. A logistics-sharing agreement followed in January 2026, and the two governments elevated relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May.
On February 25, 2026, Philippine, U.S., and Japanese forces conducted a joint patrol in the Luzon Strait, about 120 miles south of Taiwan. It was the first Philippine-led patrol of its kind that far north. Balikatan 2026, held from April 20 to May 8, involved 17,000 troops from seven countries, making it the largest Balikatan exercise to date. The drills included counter-landing operations in the Batanes Islands, which sit in the Luzon Strait between the Philippines and Taiwan. Japan deployed about 1,400 personnel, marking the first deployment of Japanese combat troops to Philippine soil since World War II.
The Philippines has also increased contact with Taiwan. In April 2025, Manila eased restrictions on official visits to Taiwan. The Philippine and Taiwanese coast guards met in December 2025 to discuss intelligence sharing, and Taiwan’s coast guard is planning its first ship visit to the Philippines since 1974. Stronger ties among Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan have reinforced the U.S. position in the region to a level not achieved under any previous president.
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