Afrasianet - Politico magazine published a report by the magazine's chief foreign affairs correspondent, Nahal Tosi, in which she said the United Nations is supposed to be an international forum for consultation, cooperation and consensus. But President Donald Trump sent a different message to more than 190 member states: "Do what I tell you."
Immigration? Close your borders.
The climate crisis? Forget about it.
Russian oil? Stop buying it.
The US president made these strongly worded statements, which at times seemed like orders, in his address to the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, the first of its kind in his second term. He did not hide his words.
She said during his speech: "I'm very good at these things. Your countries will go to hell."
Trump, on the other hand, pointed out in a reference unrelated to climate change that America is "the hottest country in the world, and no other country is up to its level," and commented that the remarks were not welcome.
She also noted that a Latin American official, who did not identify himself like others who watched Trump's speech, described it gently: "The guy who runs the most successful company was telling other CEOs what they should do to make their companies more successful. But it wasn't ''I'm going to create a new international framework to promote this for the benefit of everyone, it was more like it's up to you.'"
The author of the article said she listened to every speech Trump gave to the U.N. General Assembly. This was the craziest speech yet. It may also have been a missed opportunity for the President of the United States to harness the United Nations for personal gain.
She confirmed that Trump continued to speak unusually, even after fixing the malfunctioning indoctrination. He has unleashed a staggering number of lies, even for him, such as the suggestion that London is moving towards the adoption of Islamic law. He contradicted himself, claiming, for example, that the carbon footprint did not matter, while also complaining about air pollution in some areas.
Still, Trump read some lines that sounded like an expected speech from a U.S. president to the world body. He announced that his administration would lead an initiative to try to curb the presence of biological weapons, and called on "all countries to join us," she said.
However, that was an exception. In general, Trump has offered no comprehensive, unified worldview (his administration had promised a clear philosophy for the world).
Trump had few kind words to entice countries to follow America's approach to transnational problems. Instead, it has clung to its national essence, bullying, demanding, and ridiculing the assembled countries.
The U.S. president, who seemed relaxed and seemed to be enjoying his time, used the moment to mock the UN's malfunction, and it wasn't just about a faulty escalator.
"All they do, it seems, is write strongly worded messages and then they don't follow through," he said. These are hollow words, and hollow words do not solve wars."
The author commented on Trump's remarks by saying that she feels the utmost ridicule when it comes to the United Nations, but Trump's remarks showed a misunderstanding of the world body.
She indicated that the Commission is a forum, a platform for Member States to solve their problems. When its key members – namely the United States, Russia, and China – are unable to overcome their differences, the UN is useless.
If Trump wants the United Nations to work better, he can help make it happen. Instead, he is not just acting as if the United States has no role, but has taken steps, including withholding funding, which could weaken this multilateral institution.
Some foreign officials described Trump's speech on Tuesday as uninformed at best, and unproductive at worst.
"He's saying things that aren't true," one European official complained in a text message, and the author stressed that this person is not new to the business. The official argued, for example, that Trump acted as if Europe had done nothing to rein in Russia against Ukraine when it imposed tough sanctions on the Kremlin, reduced its dependence on Russian energy, and spent billions of dollars to prop up Kyiv.
While several European countries have cracked down on immigration, Trump has portrayed the continent as being at the mercy of foreign "invaders" and urged countries to protect their "heritage."
"In Switzerland, beautiful Switzerland, 72 percent of the prison population is from outside Switzerland," she said, referring to a more complex figure than he claims.
It indicated that Trump's speech highlighted his interest in domestic affairs. At times, Trump looked like he was at one of his campaign rallies. He has exaggerated his local accomplishments to the point that her own transcription app gives the image of being an automatic transcription: the "State of the Nation Speech."
She said she didn't feel Trump's words would prompt any of his fellow heads of state to change their minds on core issues such as the science of climate change. Perhaps he would have been more persuasive on other fronts if he had stated more clearly that he understood that other countries do not always know their interests as much as America's.
The Latin official said the speech confirmed, in many ways, the feeling in diplomatic circles that Trump's approach to the world would remain "just vibrations rather than facts."
She commented that it is normal for these vibrations to change in a matter of minutes, an hour, or even in a single speech.
Trump himself, who said that the nations gathered before him would "go to hell," concluded his speech by saying, "Every leader in this beautiful hall today represents a rich culture, a noble history, and a long legacy that makes every nation great and unique, unparalleled in human history or anywhere else on earth."
She said that some foreign officials have told her that while they are not entirely surprised by Trump's speech, their concern about the course of the United States and the world over the next three years has now intensified. "The world will bear it, because it has no choice," the European official said. When I asked the author, "But your countries have to protect you, right?" he replied, "Yes." But by not choosing to fight."