President Donald Trump’s second overseas trip last month cemented America’s return as the world’s top superpower.
The symbolism was forceful as the energetic president showed a much different style after four years of former President Joe Biden’s B-team diplomatic muddling. From the crown he received in South Korea to the handshake trade deals with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump’s force of nature helped expand his America First agenda into action worldwide.
And Saturday, it continued when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney apologized to Trump for an Ontario government advertisement shown during the World Series, which featured former President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs as a policy instrument.
At home, however, he has oddly stayed out of the power play on Capitol Hill over the government shutdown, other than to mock Democratic leaders as the crisis crossed the month-old mark and began hitting more American families. And he has continued his hotel-style renovations of the White House, which some have found tacky and gaudy.
For our White House Report Card graders, the foreign successes and domestic stalemate dominated their weekly reviews.
As Lincoln was The Great Liberator and Reagan was The Great Communicator, Trump has emerged as The Great Negotiator. pic.twitter.com/KzmwSI9R8M
— Craig Shirley (@CraigSmpa) October 31, 2025
Conservative analyst Jed Babbin praised Trump’s performance on the world stage, two weeks after he orchestrated the Middle East ceasefire, in offering up a grade of “A.” Democratic pollster John Zogby, however, saw the continuation of the government budget crisis as a massive failure of leadership and slammed the new marble look of the Lincoln Bedroom bathroom in grading Trump’s week an “F.”
Jed Babbin
Weekly Grade: A
President Donald Trump had an excellent week, scoring big investments in the U.S. by Japan and South Korea, getting some progress on trade with China’s Xi Jinping, and seeing a rate cut, albeit a small one, by the Federal Reserve. He also ordered the resumption of nuclear testing, which is not at all clear at the moment. And the Democrats continue to shoot themselves in the foot, or in a place not that much higher on the anatomy, by extending the government closure.
The Schumer Shutdown is now going into its second month. It may set a record for longevity. The liberals, still insisting on Obamacare subsidies and free healthcare for illegal aliens, are now in a unique position: they’re being bashed by the Washington Post, their party’s mouthpiece.
The Post’s editorial page — which suffers from a bad case of Trump Derangement Syndrome — was very hard on them for continuing the shutdown. (Note to Dems: if you’ve lost the Post, you’ve lost the battle and are on the way to losing the war.)
In meetings with Japan’s first female leader, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Trump nailed down almost $600 billion in new Japanese investments in the U.S. Meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, Trump scored another $350 billion, bringing his total for the week to almost $1 trillion.
In meetings with Xi, Trump agreed to reduce tariffs on Chinese goods by 10% in exchange for China’s loosening of restrictions on rare earth metals, which are critical to manufacturing everything from cell phones to fighter aircraft. Whether China will live up to Xi’s promises is problematic.
The Fed cut the interest rate by a quarter-point for a second time this year. Trump’s insults of its chairman may be having an impact.
The only question is how Trump intends to resume nuclear testing. Underground tests of nuclear weapons haven’t happened in 30 years or so. Weapons need to be tested, but is Trump intending to resume those tests? That remains to be seen.
Trump has now deported at least 100,000 illegal immigrants, which puts a small dent in their U.S. population. What’s more, the Department of Homeland Security is ending a big protection for them, making deportation even more likely. All in all, a tremendous week for “The Donald.”
John Zogby
Weekly Grade: F
The government has been shut down for an entire month. The blame game goes nowhere, as does any sign of progress toward passage of a bill President Donald Trump will sign.
Regardless, the buck stops with Trump. This dark moment is on his watch, and no one but PhDs in history will remember the names of Senate Republican Leader Sen. John Thune (R-SD), House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), or House Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
As SNAP benefits run out beginning today, a federal judge blocked withholding funds for over 40 million people. Trump says he will abide by the judge’s ruling and not suspend the benefits.
Trump has threatened to use the “nuclear option” to move budget legislation forward, but Johnson has warned against that. The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates by one quarter of a percent, and the nation moved ever closer to a recessionary cycle.
Warplanes are poised to hit military targets in Venezuela, and ICE agents reportedly wore scary masks in Halloween raids in Chicago.
The Lincoln Bedroom bathroom in the White House before and after Trump’s renovations. pic.twitter.com/kkZdqREjZ7
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 31, 2025
And the press was treated to visuals of the Lincoln Bathroom renovated in marble. I know, I know, this is with private money. But it is in very poor taste. I hate the term “new normal” almost as much as I hate the “new normal.”
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Jed Babbin is a Washington Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on X @jedbabbin.
John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Survey and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His latest book is Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read Polls and Why We Should. His podcast with son and managing partner and pollster Jeremy Zogby can be heard here. Follow him on X @ZogbyStrategies.