President Donald Trump is heading into a volatile confrontation with world leaders as the “reckless” war with Iran intensifies, just days before he is expected to deliver his sixth address to the United Nations General Assembly next week, insiders say.
During last year’s address, Trump questioned the organization’s purpose. “What is the purpose of the United Nations?” he asked. “It has such tremendous, tremendous potential. But it’s not even coming close to living up to that potential.”
Insiders expect the president to bring the same combative tone to this year’s speech.
One diplomat, speaking anonymously, said Trump is expected to air his central grievances while mounting a forceful defense of his foreign policy.
“I was told he is planning to say something to the effect of, look, I don’t think anyone is pulling their weight yet at the UN. The war is over if people [Iran] listens to me. Trump’s speech, the [bilateral meetings]… boring. The real news is made during his sideline chats that we won’t get to see.”
Brett Bruen, a former US diplomat who served as Director of Global Engagement at the Obama White House, said Trump should not expect a friendly reception in New York.
“Pretty much every president, prime minister and prince in the world is pissed at Trump for starting a reckless war with Iran,” Bruen told Our News Outlet. “While continuing to bluster and blabber about winning, it’s now a pathetic portrayal of how he squandered America’s uniquely powerful position on the planet.”
Our News Outlet contacted the White House for comment.
The annual gathering of world leaders is taking shape as a tense and deeply confrontational summit. Trade disputes, strained relations with European allies and an active conflict with Iran—which Trump says is coming to an end—are expected to dominate the discussions.
President Donald Trump is heading into a volatile confrontation with world leaders as the “reckless” war with Iran intensifies, just days before his sixth address to the United Nations General Assembly next week, insiders say
First Lady Melania Trump listens as President Trump speaks during the General Debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly last year
The annual gathering of world leaders is shaping up as a tense, highly confrontational summit focused on trade disputes, friction with European allies and an active war with Iran that Trump says is ending
The summit will also bring together a combustible mix of political figures and long-standing rivals: Iranian delegates facing travel restrictions arriving in the United States under threat of “annihilation,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushing for a meeting, Palestinian envoys barred from attending and Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez waiting for a possible secret sideline conversation.
Trump has made no secret of his disdain for the UN’s multilateral role. In the past, he dismissed its debates as “empty words” and called UN climate experts “stupid people.”
Last year, he used his address to deliver a blistering attack on the assembled dignitaries over migration.
“Your countries are going to hell,” Trump told the room.
Yet diplomats who spoke with Our News Outlet said the most consequential business of the week is likely to take place behind closed doors, with the seven-month-old US conflict with Iran casting a shadow over nearly every meeting.
Even as military clashes continue in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for the global oil trade, the State Department confirmed Thursday that it will issue restricted visas to an Iranian delegation attending the summit.
The decision comes as Trump says Tehran is seeking negotiations while he continues to openly weigh further escalation.
“I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate them [the Iranian regime] or do I not? It’s a big decision. Anything could happen with me,” Trump told Axios this week.
Any interaction with the Iranian team will certainly be under the microscope next week.
Last year, Trump delivered a brutal tongue–lashing directly to gathered dignitaries over migration
The United Nations headquarters in New York. The closed–door sessions are where several diplomats Our News Outlet spoke with say the week’s most critical business will occur, heavily overshadowed by the seven–month–old US conflict with Iran
This year, there will be an explosive cast of characters and deep–seated grudges: travel–restricted Iranian delegates landing on US soil under threat of ‘annihilation,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu frantically angling for a sit–down and barred Palestinian envoys slamming doors from afar
During UNGA, Trump is also slated to meet with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait to outline strategies and plans after the war.
Trump’s very first meeting with the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom will also take place. Slotted for Tuesday afternoon, their sit–down falls right between Trump’s morning address to the UN General Assembly and Andy Burnham’s 15–minute speech later that day.
Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Mark Wallace told Our News Outlet that UNGA will be an opportunity for a strong but thoughtful reminder of the ‘human suffering and loss by a September 10 mindset’ as the conflict in the Middle East takes center stage.
‘Refusing to face the challenges and threats of our time… allied leaders and peoples seem to have readopted a pre 9/11 mindset of sticking one’s head in the sand. That is a failure of leadership and dangerous in a world with grave contemporary threats,’ Wallace explained.
Wallace emphasized that the summit’s core focus should rest on Western resolve.
‘Will they step up or will the anti–Trump sentiment overwhelm the importance of dealing with serious threats,’ he remarked.
Wallace also noted that the veto on monitoring Iran by Russia and China puts another of the ‘countless nails in the coffin’ of the relevance of the UN Security Council.
Still, defenders of the institution are pushing back against the rhetoric.
During UNGA, Trump is also slated to meet with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait to outline strategies and plans after the war
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz listen as Trump speaks during the 80th session of UNGA at the United Nations headquarters last year
Trump meets with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. His term is up this December, and the race to replace him has already begun
In her final address as outgoing General Assembly president, former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock highlighted the vital relief UN peacekeepers, UNICEF and aid agencies provide daily to millions.
‘To those out there who argue that the UN is irrelevant or failing,’ Baerbock advised, ‘I would simply say: consider, for just one minute, the alternative, a world without the United Nations.’
Baerbock suggested hostility might ultimately produce the opposite of its intended effect.
‘The power games of our times and the direct attacks on this dear institution have in many ways brought the vast majority of this General Assembly closer together,’ she said.
Bruen says the ‘second world order’ of the United Nations will be on full display next week, as republicans remain on edge ahead of the upcoming Midterm elections.
‘The post–American era will be on full display as leaders gather at the United Nations. Trump will try to put a positive spin on the mounting costs and his cratering political capital at home and abroad.’
Two White House sources tell Our News Outlet that Trump is preparing for UNGA over the weekend at Camp David with his national security team.
