Trump Names Xi Jinping Among World's Two Greatest Leaders, Cites China's Iran Restraint

President Donald Trump identified Chinese President Xi Jinping as one of the world's two greatest leaders and credited Beijing with honoring a personal request to stay out of the U.S.-Iran conflict, in a wide-ranging interview with Axios host Marc Caputo. The remarks, which also covered the claimed destruction of Iran's military, a Pakistani prime minister's assertion that Trump averted nuclear war between Pakistan and India, and a self-described dominant showing at the Group of Seven summit in France, sketched a portrait of an administration Trump said was more powerful than his first.

Trump-Xi Relationship as Diplomatic Anchor

Trump told Caputo he had explicitly asked Xi not to interfere with the naval blockade of Iran and that Xi complied — a decision Trump attributed directly to the quality of their personal relationship. He described Xi as "no games, all business" and said the Chinese president had acknowledged the U.S. military as the world's most powerful. Trump named Xi alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the two leaders he most admired, citing Modi's more than twelve years in office, his avoidance of wars, and India's population of 1.5 billion people as markers of steady leadership.

Iran: Military Destroyed, Oil Pipelines Spared by Design

Trump described the Iran conflict's outcome as unconditional surrender. He said the U.S. had sunk Iran's navy of 159 ships, destroyed its air force and anti-aircraft systems, and killed its supreme leader and other senior figures. He specified that he ordered strikes on Kharg Island but directed military planners to leave Iran's oil pipelines intact, saying he was not looking to damage the world economy. The naval blockade, he said, was constructed so that no ship was able to pass.

Nuclear Crisis Between Pakistan and India

Trump said Pakistan's prime minister publicly credited him with saving fifty million lives by intervening to halt a military exchange between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India. Trump said eleven aircraft were shot down before he stepped in. He described Pakistan's Field Marshal Munir as having played a key back-channel role in the Iran negotiations, citing Munir's knowledge of Iranian officials.

G7, Venezuela, and the Second-Term Power Argument

Trump characterized the G7 in France — hosted by President Emmanuel Macron, whom he praised as an effective host — as a summit where he got everything he sought. On Venezuela, he said a military operation that lasted forty-eight minutes had opened the country's oil sector to major international companies, which he said were now extracting millions of barrels. Trump framed each episode as evidence that his second administration carried more power than the first, attributing that to experience and to the contrast with his predecessor.