On Tuesday, President Donald Trump made his debut at the United Nations General Assembly. And just as expected, he brought his confrontational style of leadership to the world stage, the New Yorker reported.
In his speech, the US president mentioned that North Korea will be completely devastated if it continues with its provocations. He also condemned the nuclear agreement with Iran, labeling it “an embarrassment to the United States.” President Trump’s remarks implicitly insulted both the European allies and the United Nations Security Council.
The EU was responsible for initiating the agreement with Iran, while the UN Security Council unanimously endorsed it, according to BBC.
President Trump’s military rhetoric
President Trump’s speech at the UN contained some of his usual campaign-style zingers, such as his promise to “crush loser terrorists,” his label on the North’s leader as “Rocket Man,” and his unfounded declaration that some parts of the world “are going to hell.” But for the main part, Trump’s "witticism" was met by stony silence from members of the UN.
Moreover, President Trump shed light on his America First Policy and defended it by upending the long years of rhetorical support by the U.S. for the UN’s collective philosophy.
And to avoid criticism, the US president eulogized the notion of ‘sovereignty’ in a context in which the term has been traditionally brandished by communist countries such as China, North Korea and Russia. Trump further asserted that nationalism can definitely be a strong foundation for strong states to unite in common causes.
Reactions of UN members to Trump’s speech
The Israel delegates applauded the hard-hitting words of President Donald Trump’s speech. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was seen from the gallery cheering for the US president. Mr. Netanyahu labeled Trump’s speech as the boldest speech ever delivered at the UN convention in 30 years.
Moreover, he concurred to Trump’s statements regarding the nuclear agreement in Iran, citing Kim Jong-un’s regime as an example. According to Mr. Netanyahu, the world has already witnessed the dangers of a few nuclear warheads in the North. But the North Korean threats will be nothing compared to the potential danger of hundreds of nuclear warheads in the great Iranian empire, if the United Nations will allow Iran to continue its nuclear development programs.
Moreover, there were members of the UN who considered Trump’s speech as extremely aggressive. According to the National Iranian American Council President, Trita Parsi, the US president will find it more difficult to encourage other nations to join his cause after he demonstrated that he potentially could become a looming danger to world peace.
Moreover, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran criticized President Trump for his statement that the US would potentially withdraw from the nuclear accord. President Rouhani told NBC News that if the US government withdraws from the nuclear agreement with Iran, no country will ever trust the United States again.
On Twitter, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed his opinion on President Donald Trump’s speech. For Zarif, it was an ignorant hate speech, which belonged in the medieval times and not in the 21st century.
On top of it all, even before President Trump delivered his speech, the ambassador of North Korea left the assembly.
