Donald Trump has championed patriotism and slammed globalism and a number of countries in his speech to the 2019 United Nations General Assembly.
The president’s tone was was described as “steady and somber” (Fox) and “a somber monotone, rarely punctuating words or pausing for emphasis’ (WP) but “his message to world leaders was clear”.
Fox News: Trump slams open-border activists for ‘evil’ agenda, decries Iran ‘bloodlust’ in fiery UN speech
President Trump, in a fiery address Tuesday before the U.N. General Assembly, tore into open-border activists for pushing what he described as an “evil” agenda under the “cloak” of social justice, while warning Iran to abandon its confrontational course and delivering arguably his most robust defense yet of his nationalist philosophy.
“Today, I have a message for those open border activists who cloak themselves in the rhetoric of social justice: Your policies are not just, your policies are cruel and evil,” he said, accusing them of promoting human smuggling and the “erasure of national borders.”
“You are empowering criminal organizations that prey on innocent men, women and children. You put your own false sense of virtue before the lives and well-being of countless innocent people. When you undermine border security, you are undermining human rights and human dignity.”
The president’s tone was steady and somber. But the message was that of a muscular nationalism that he has spent the better part of three years defining. As part of his speech, he later ripped into social media giants, media groups and academics — whom he accused of being part of a “permanent political class” that sought to undermine the will of the people.
“Wise leaders always put the good of their own people and their country first. The future does not belong to globalists, the future belongs to patriots,” he said earlier in the speech. “The future belongs to sovereign and independent nations who protect their citizens, respect their neighbors and honor the differences that make each country special and unique.”
He advised member states, “If you want freedom, take pride in your country. If you want democracy, hold on to your sovereignty. If you want peace, love your nation.”
He accused Iran’s leaders of “fueling the tragic wars in both Syria and Yemen,” and of “squandering their nation’s wealth in a fanatical quest for nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them.”
Washington Post: Trump condemns globalism, touts nationalistic view of foreign affairs at U.N.
“The future does not belong to globalists,” Trump said. “The future belongs to patriots.”
He argued that a globalist worldview had “exerted a religious pull over past leaders, causing them to ignore their own national interests,” and called on other nations to “embrace its national foundations.”
Trump also emphasized his desire to limit the United States engagement around the world militarily.
“The United States does not seek conflict with any other nation,” he said during his 37-minute address. “We desire peace, cooperation, and mutual gain with all. But I will never fail to defend America’s interests.”
He also took a hard line against Iran, arguing that the governing regime was “squandering the nation’s health” and vowed to “stop Iran’s path toward nuclear weapons.”
“All nations have a duty to act. No responsible government should subsidize Iran’s blood lust. As long as Iran’s menacing behavior continues, sanctions will not be lifted. They will be tightened. Iran’s leaders will have turned a proud nation into just another precautionary tale of what happens when a ruling class abandons its people and embarks on a crusade for personal power riches.”
Some mixed messages there, which isn’t unusual with Trump.
Trump highlighted the United States’ “ambitious campaign to reform international trade” and stressed his desire to complete separate bilateral trade agreements with the United Kingdom and Japan.
“For decades, the international trading system has been easily exploited by nations acting in bad faith. As jobs were outsourced, a small handful grew wealthy at the expense of the middle class.
Most emblematic of his approach on trade, Trump said, was with China, with which the United States has been embroiled in an escalating trade war.
China, Trump said, has “embraced an economic model dependent on massive market barriers, heavy state subsidies, currency manipulation, product dumping … and a theft of intellectual property.” Trump called for an overhaul of the World Trade Organization, arguing that China should not be able to “game the system at others’ expense” through it.
Politico: Trump’s full U.N. speech at the 2019 United Nations General Assembly
