Trump spoke before the U.N today and called out how the U.N has been run in the past!
We commend SG @AntonioGuterres & his call for the UN to focus more on people & less on bureaucracy. #USAatUNGA #UNGA https://t.co/KVvCMznmcN pic.twitter.com/UQn6RrC9Xw
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 18, 2017
President Trump attends the United Nations for the first time as commander in chief.
The president spoke on reform, management, security, and development.
He believes the U.N. should have better focus on people and less on bureaucracy.
The president added he looks forward to working with leaders in advancing their shared goals.
Their partnership will be a greater force for peace and harmony in the world.
The president will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron at the U.N. on Monday.
He will then join Vice President Mike Pence for a working dinner with Latin American leaders later Monday evening.
WaPo:
President Trump called on the United Nations to enact reforms to the world body, pledging Monday in his debut here at the annual General Assembly meetings that he and his administration will be “partners in your work.â€
Speaking at the opening session of the four-day conference, Trump said the organization founded in 1945 has “not reached its full potential†in recent years because of a bloated bureaucracy and “mismanagement.â€
“We encourage all member states to look at ways to take bold stands at the United Nations with an eye toward changing business as usual and not being beholden to ways of the past which were not working,†Trump said, flanked by U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Secretary General António Guterres.
Trump had spoken dismissively of multilateral institutions, including the U.N. and NATO, during his campaign, promoting an “America first†agenda aimed at reducing the United States’s interventionism abroad in favor of domestic priorities.
His fellow leaders here at the annual gathering here of more than 150 delegations are listening for signs of how closely Trump will align himself with the U.N. in the face of a series of international challenges, including North Korea, Syria and Iran.
Speaking briefing with reporters, Trump riffed off of his campaign slogan, Make America Great Again. Trump said his main message is: “Make the United Nations great. Not again. Make the United Nations great. Such tremendous potential, and I think we’ll be able to do this.”
Introducing Trump, Haley said the former business mogul is “no stranger to change†and added that he “sees great potential, not just in the reform among members, but in the United Nations itself.â€
Ahead of the meetings, Haley had lauded the U.N. for a pair of recent votes to enact severe economic sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The sanctions seek to cut off oil imports to Kim Jong Un’s regime and block exports from the country.
The White House said Trump spoke by phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is not attending UNGA, to discuss North Korea’s efforts to “destabilize” Northeast Asia.
“The two leaders committed to maximizing pressure on North Korea through vigorous enforcement of United Nations Security Council resolutions,” according to the White House statement.
But Trump has also voiced concerns that the U.N. and NATO have relied too heavily on the United States and that other members should shoulder more of the economic and leadership burdens.
“We must ensure that no one and no member state shoulders a disproportionate share of the burden, and that’s militarily or financially,†Trump said. “We also ask that every peacekeeping mission have clearly defined goals and metrics for evaluating success.â€
My short take afterward!
Trump Calls on #UNGA to focus more on people and less on bureaucracy! #AmericaFirst https://t.co/KrmHaq2ghG
— Jacob Palmieri (@jakepalmieri) September 18, 2017
