Obama: Under My Leadership "The United States Is The Most Respected Country On Earth"

On Tuesday, President Obama hosted a discussion at the White House with a group of 75 young Southeast Asian Leaders on themes of civic engagement, environment and natural resources management and entrepreneurship. The group is the first cohort from the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Fellows Program.

In a a question and answer session that took place, the president was asked how he would like the world to remember him. He said that he wants Americans to know that America once again became "the most respected country on earth" under his watch.

"People don't remember, when I came into office, the United States in world opinion ranked below China, barely above Russia," Obama said. "And today, once again, the United States is the most respected country on earth, and part of that I think is because of the work that we did to reengage the world and say that we want to work with you as partners, with mutual interests and mutual respect."