Midterm losses could give Trump a quest to emerge from Apec summit as a winner

When G7 leaders gathered at the French resort of Evian-les-Bains in June, Donald Trump arrived late but wasted no time in grabbing the spotlight. With a cheeky declaration, “I am the boss”, the US president drew a ripple of awkward laughter from around the table.

Months earlier, in his September 2025 address to the UN General Assembly, he told the gathering that “your countries are going to hell”. His lengthy speech blended boasts about his own record with sharp criticism of allies’ policies,...