BIGGEST JOKE IN WORLD
UN mocks Trump brag that he’s been a very effective President
The joke's on him.
President Trump's overthe-top tooting of his own horn stirred a wave of mocking laughter Tuesday as he delivered a nationalistic speech before the United Nations General Assembly that targeted the very nature of the international body.
A stone-faced Trump, who arrived late to the UN headquarters on the East Side, kicked off his address with the not-so-humble boast that he has accomplished more in the past two years than “almost any administration in the history of our country.”
The exaggerated claim prompted a roll of muted laughter throughout the hall.
“So true,” Trump said. As the guffaws grew louder, the President appeared flustered before he smiled and added, “Didn't expect that reaction, but that's OK.”
Undeterred by the chuckles, the President's braggadocio went on unabated as he boasted that the U.S. is a "stronger, safer and richer country" than when he took office.
Trump has often claimed in the past that his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, turned the U.S. into a punch line on the world stage.
“We need a President who isn't a laughing stock to the entire World. We need a truly great leader, a genius at strategy and winning. Respect!" Trump tweeted in 2014.
Asked about the laughter later, Trump made like he was in on the joke.
“Oh, it was great. Well, that was meant to get some laughter, but it was great,” he said.
Throughout the remainder of his speech, Trump touted the U.S. economy and rising stocks as evidence of his administration's success — and patted himself on the back for nationalistic policies that have led to rifts with allies and angered foes.
But it was his “America First” approach to foreign policy — which has prompted removing the U.S. from the Paris climate accord, led to the institution of protectionist tariffs and has rubbed many longtime global partners the wrong way — that Trump paraded as his most praise-
worthy performance.
He applauded his own efforts as a strategy of “principled realism.”
The President went on to defend his hard-line trade policies — which have included high duties on steel and aluminum and an ongoing tit-for-tat tariff war with China — and told the General Assembly that the U.S. will “not be taken advantage of any longer.”
The speech, slightly subdued when compared with the threats of “fire and fury” lobbed at North Korea last year, included several pronounced nods to nationalism.
Trump was unapologetic about his decisions to engage with leaders in Pyongyang and remove the U.S. from the international Iran nuclear accord and his objections to UN programs he believes are contrary to American interests.
"We reject the ideology of globalism and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism,” he said.
The address included praise for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom he referred to as “Little Rocket Man” a year ago, and an announcement of new sanctions against Venezuela. Trump also stood by his decision to pull the U.S. out of the UN Human Rights Council and its global compact on migration, saying it has become "a grave embarrassment to this institution.”
The U.S. will not return to the council without reform and will not provide support or recognition to the International Criminal Court for similar reasons, Trump added.
"We will never surrender America's sovereignty to an unelected, unaccountable, global bureaucracy,” he said.
He also noted that America is the world's largest donor of foreign aid, but lamented that “few give anything to us.” Trump announced he will ask Secretary of State Pompeo to review the billions of dollars in foreign aid the U.S. hands out each year, saying the review will examine what is working and what is not and whether countries that receive U.S. aid "have our interests at heart.”
Going forward, “We are only going to give foreign aid to those who respect us and, frankly, are our friends,” Trump said.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres struck a markedly different tone in his own address to the collection of world leaders and diplomats.
"The world is more connected, yet societies are becoming more fragmented. Challenges are growing outward, while many people are turning inward," he said.
Guterres also highlighted climate change and inequality as he called for a more global response to the world's problems.
"In the face of massive, existential threats to people and planet — but equally at a time of compelling opportunities for shared prosperity — there is no way forward but collective, common-sense action for the common good,” he said.
Longtime diplomat Daniel Fried, who served in a variety of top posts under three U.S. Presidents, balked at Trump's jingoistic rhetoric.
“There is nothing patriotic about splitting the United States from the values we have championed and we still represent to much of the world,” Fried told the Daily News. “Globally, the U.S. for 100 years has advocated a rules-based world, not because we are fuzzy-headed idealists and interested in giving away, but because we recognized that we will prosper when other nations do as well.”