Five Wins in Five Days: Trump’s Victories, and the Journal’s State of Denial
From the UK to Russia-Ukraine, China, and "Most Favored Nation" on pharma, Trump delivers exactly what he promised.
by Rod D. Martin
May 12, 2025
Over the five days beginning Thursday, President Donald J. Trump quietly executed five strategic victories that will reshape America’s global position and are sending shockwaves through the old order.
In just 120 hours:
He brokered a U.S.–U.K. trade deal that ends any chance of the U.K. rejoining the EU, slashing British tariffs and opening British markets while preserving American leverage.
He forced China into a Phase One agreement that delivers $200 billion in hard concessions, keeps 30% tariffs on their exports while reducing their tariffs on us to just 10%, and sets a 90-day clock on getting to a final comprehensive deal.
He issued a sweeping executive order that ends the global prescription drug scam, implementing “Most Favored Nation” pricing to stop foreign governments from dumping their costs on U.S. consumers without consequence.
He brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, two nuclear powers exchanging fire and edging toward a war that could kill hundreds of millions.
And he compelled Russia and Ukraine to agree to direct talks for the first time since March 2022 — not by begging, but by issuing an ultimatum: meet now, or the U.S. walks.
So when The Wall Street Journal runs breathless editorials claiming that Trump “blinked” or that China “won,” understand: they’re not analyzing. They’re coping. Are they right to seek free trade? Absolutely. But do they have the slightest idea how to get there? After decades of deals utterly lopsided against the U.S., it’s perfectly clear you shouldn’t even let these people negotiate at a car lot. They’ll pay double sticker and claim they “won”.
That approach has bled the American middle class dry. That system is now being dismantled — in real time, with measurable gains — and they hate it.
Let’s take each deal in turn.