President Donald Trump delivered his first address to the United Nations Tuesday in a speech that espoused nationalism, while at the same time threatening multiple “rogue regimes.”
Trump campaigned on a nationalist platform and at times criticized the UN itself and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“As President of the United States I will always put America first,” Trump said at the UN General Assembly, adding that all nations should seek to put their own people first.
He praised the importance of sovereignty. “We do not expect diverse countries to share the same traditions … or even systems of government.”
Trump went on to demand democracy in Venezuela, warn North Korea that the U.S. might have “no choice but to totally destroy” the country, criticize the “criminal regime” of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and say the Iran nuclear deal is an embarrassment, while suggesting that the people of Iran might rise up in revolution. (RELATED: Trump Warns US May ‘Have No Choice But To Destroy North Korea’)
Trump warned about the consequences if “the righteous men do not confront the wicked few.”
After all this sharp rhetoric, Trump went back into his nationalistic flourish and promoted sovereign “nations that want to befriend, not conquer.”
“History is asking us whether we are up to the task,” Trump said, “Our answer will be a renewal of will, a rediscovery of resolve, and a rebirth of devotion. We need to defeat the enemies of humanity and unlock the potential of life itself. Our hope is a word and world of proud, independent nations that embrace their duties, seek friendship, respect others, and make common cause in the greatest shared interest of all, a future of dignity and peace for the people of this wonderful earth.”
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