US President Donald Trump is expected to use his Tuesday address to the United Nations to claim victories both on the battlefield and as a peacemaker, even as his stalled conflict with Iran casts a shadow over the proceedings.
Trump is likely to reprise his trademark boasts about the United States being the hottest country” in the world under his leadership.
He is also expected to defend his administration’s approach to Iran a campaign that has so far failed to achieve its goals and has led to widespread economic disruption following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite these challenges, Trump may use the UN platform to highlight his controversial efforts to resolve the Gaza conflict and to expand the Abraham Accords, seeking to bring more Arab nations into normalization agreements with Israel.
No one knows what Trump is going to say, not even Trump’s speechwriters, said Daniel Forti of the International Crisis Group.
This year, we anticipate a sharper contrast as Trump both touts his record as a peacemaker and defends ongoing US military operations around the world. It remains to be seen how world leaders will react.
Trump’s keynote address, marking the start of the UN General Assembly’s High-level week, gives him another opportunity to criticize the global body. Last year, Trump’s speech was marked by unusual accusations of UN sabotage after a temporary escalator outage and a teleprompter glitch at UN headquarters in New York.
Since returning to office, Trump has frequently targeted the UN and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, though Washington recently paid $725 million toward the UN budget, averting the potential loss of some US voting rights.
Trump is also expected to face skepticism regarding his claims of a major US victory when a security deal is signed Tuesday for a US presence in Greenland—a Danish territory that Trump has previously threatened, straining traditional US alliances.
In addition to his speech, Trump will meet with Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, who has faced immense US pressure since her predecessor, Nicolas Maduro, was captured by American forces in January.
Last year, Trump’s speech veered off-script as he complained about the escalator incident and a malfunctioning teleprompter, accused London’s mayor of enforcing Islamic law, and warned that Europe was in “serious trouble” over migration.
Trump appears to still harbor resentment over these events, recently claiming, “They turned off the escalator,” while recounting how he steadied his wife during the mishap. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric noted that the escalator has since been thoroughly checked and that new teleprompter arrangements have been made to ensure a smoother experience for the US delegation.
UN Secretary-General Guterres will open the week’s proceedings, expected to address the rapid advance of artificial intelligence and ongoing global conflicts. He will be followed by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose country traditionally opens the General Assembly. T
rump, who has backed Lula’s political opponents, may find himself at odds with the Brazilian leader, who recently warned Trump not to interfere in Brazil’s upcoming elections.
—AFP
