President Donald Trump expounded on the virtues of American democracy during his Tuesday address before the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump noted that the U.S. Constitution was the oldest founding government document still in use in the world and praised the first three words, “We the people,” as the document’s most beautiful.
The address began with praise for the founding mission of the U.N., but Trump quickly emphasized the sovereignty of each individual member country as fundamental to the overall success of the organization and its goals.
Trump’s praise for the U.N. and its founding ideals represents a marked departure from the harsh rhetoric he employed on the campaign trail to deride the body as “not a friend of democracy” and “not a friend to freedom.” As his campaign concluded, Trump followed his harsh rhetoric with threats to suspend all climate-related payments to the U.N.
While Trump seemingly softened his stance on the U.N. in preparation for Tuesday’s speech, he made it clear that he has not totally embraced the organization.
“The main message is: make the United Nations great, not again, make the United Nations great,” the president said in a statement Monday.
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