Trump seeks to convince U.N. of N. Korean threat
President’s stance is that the world is in danger, not just U.S.
President NEW YORK CITY Trump has proved willing to buck traditional alliances in the name of his “America First” foreign policy. But when he addresses the United Nations on Tuesday, Trump will say international cooperation is necessary to thwart North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
In his first major speech to the 193-member U.N. General Assembly, Trump will speak in “extremely tough terms” about the North Korean nuclear menace, according to one aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity before the president’s high- profile remarks.
Trump will emphasize the threat Pyongyang ’s nuclear ambitions pose not just to the USA — but to all the nations in the room, the aide said.
North Korea will be in the front row for Trump’s speech, because the United Nations uses a lottery system to determine seating.
Tensions between the United States and North Korea have escalated throughout Trump’s eight-month presidency. In August, Trump warned Pyongyang to stop threatening the USA — or the United States would unleash “fire and fury like the world has never seen.” Trump’s use of apocalyptic imagery failed to deter Kim Jong Un from conducting North Korea’s sixth, and most powerful, nuclear test Sept. 3.
In his speech, Trump is likely to call on U.N. members to block any economic assistance to Kim’s government.
Trump will deliver his message in the cavernous General Assembly hall — think high-end opera house, quiet before the curtain rises. Trump will speak
on a rostrum with a background of green marble.
Delegates from the 193-member United Nations do not applaud during speeches given by world leaders. That can be a disorienting experience for many politicians. Trump, who has continued to hold political rallies since his election, thrives especially when there’s a palpable crowd reaction.
Even though the room will be quiet as Trump speaks, it’s a tough crowd — especially for Trump, who has criticized the United Nations.
The president is likely to promote the idea that each country should respond to its own needs — and the needs of its citizens — above all others.
Trump, the aide said, is not interested in nation-building, or spreading democracy with the power of the U.S. military — but is interested in fostering global stability.
Some U.N. members have questioned Trump’s “America First” approach during his time in office. Trump announced a withdrawal from the landmark Paris climate agreement, an Obama-era pact to reduce greenhouse gases. He demanded negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico and abandoned the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership with Asian countries.
Trump’s aides said the president will argue nations can find opportunities to work together on shared threats — in particular, those from North Korea.
Trump spoke by phone Monday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is not attending the U.N. General Assembly. The two leaders “agreed to maximize pressure on North Korea through vigorous enforcement of United Nations Security Council resolutions,” the White House said in a statement.
The United Nations has hit North Korea with a series of sanctions. Trump has questioned the effectiveness of the most recent measures, passed Sept. 11, which did not include U.S. requests for an oil import ban and an international asset freeze on Kim.
In his speech, Trump is also likely to discuss another nuclear challenge — the Iran deal.
Trump said Monday he was close to making a decision about whether to abandon the Obamaera deal with Iran. “You’ll see very soon,” he said before meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu, who views a nuclear-armed Iran as an existential threat to his country, has said Tehran cannot be trusted to honor the agreement — and the United States should either “fix” the deal or scrap it altogether. The
Even though the room will be quiet as Trump speaks, it’s a tough crowd — especially for Trump, who has criticized the United Nations.
deal requires Iran to give up the means to make nuclear weapons as the United States and allies reduce economic sanctions.
Trump also met Monday with a supporter of the Iran agreement, French President Emanuel Macron. Officials in France have said that killing the Iran deal could set off a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. The other signatories of the deal include Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union, China and Russia.
Though Trump’s speech will be highly scrutinized, few speeches by U.S. presidents at the United Nations are memorable — with the possible exception of President George W. Bush’s address in 2002, rattling the saber at Iraq six months before a U.S.-led invasion.
Leaders from other countries have delivered some of the most memorable U.N. speeches. Cuban leader Fidel Castro spent four and a half hours in 1960 lambasting the United States.