President Trump gave his first address to the U. N. General Assembly, focusing on threats from North Korea, Iran and Islamic State
President Trump delivered a forceful inaugural speech to a packed United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, a sprawling 42-minute address — warlike at times, flowery at others — that challenged some tenets of U. S. foreign policy.
With the cavernous hall packed so full that scores of people jammed into the aisles, Trump caused a stir when he mocked North Korea’s ruler, Kim Jong Un, as “Rocket Man on a suicide mission” and threatened his “depraved regime.”
“The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea,” Trump added.
Another buzz arose when he warned that parts of the world “are going to hell.” He also vowed to “crush loser terrorists” and condemned a “small group of rogue regimes,” including Iran, for threatening global stability.
“Rogue regimes represented in this body not only support terrorists, but threaten other nations and their own people with the most destructive weapons known to humanity,” he said.
Trump first tried out his “Rocket Man” insult in a tweet on Sunday, and his U. N. speech was laced with some of the harsh language and colloquialisms that have delighted his base and horrified his critics.
But Trump also praised U. N. humanitarian aid and development programs that have fought famines and disease, helped victims after wars and disasters, sheltered millions of refugees and educated women and girls.
He applauded U. N. peacekeeping operations for stabilizing conflicts in Africa and complimented Secretary-General António Guterres — who, like Trump, also took office in January — for leading efforts to make U. N. operations and agencies more efficient, taking on a problem as old as the institution.
He called for restoration of democracy and political freedoms in Venezuela and cited the “enormous potential waiting to be released” around the world.
“To put it simply, we meet at a time of both immense promise and great peril,” he said.
“If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph,” he added. “When decent people and nations become bystanders to history, the forces of destruction only gather power and strength,” he said.
“Now we are calling for a great awakening of nations, for the revival of their spirits, their pride, their people and their patriotism,” he added. “History is asking us whether we are up to the task.”
Trump began, as he often does in public gatherings, by boasting about his time in office.
The United States “has done very well since election day,” he said, claiming credit for a rising stock market, low unemployment and a military that he said “will soon be the strongest it has ever been.”
Trump jettisoned traditional U. S.
