By Devin Dubon
President Trump gave his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, September 19th. In the speech, he addressed the nations of the world about dangerous regimes and terrorist organizations.
The president urged the UN to take greater action in stopping the governments of various countries in abusing the human rights of their citizens.
He specifically called out North Korea, calling its leader Kim Jong Un a ‘Little Rocket Man’ and praising the UN for its new sanctions against the country in response to new nuclear and ballistic tests.
Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
Trump threatened to “totally destroy North Korea” if they attacked the U.S or its allies. He stated that the North Korean regime imperils the United States and the world. North Korea responded by calling Trump’s attack a “declaration of war” and threatened to shoot down US bombers – even those not in their airspace and has already flew warplanes through US bombers’ flight paths.
North Korea's foreign minister says Trump's latest statement was "a declaration of war" against his country. https://t.co/2QUJcT7A6S
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 25, 2017
'Rocket man is on a suicide mission': Trump threatens to 'totally destroy North Korea' in major UN speech pic.twitter.com/sZ10BY79ri
— Business Insider (@BusinessInsider) September 20, 2017
Iran was also a target during the speech.
“The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy,” Trump said. He accused the nation of funding terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and other “radical Islamic terrorism.”
He also criticized the Iranian nuclear deal. The deal was established during the Obama administration and it relaxed sanctions on Iran in exchange for the defunding of the Iranian nuclear program.
“The Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions … [it] is an embarrassment to the US and I don’t think you’ve heard the last of it, believe me” Trump stated.
During his UN General Assembly address, President Donald Trump called the Iran nuclear deal "an embarrassment": https://t.co/iBPUgjyAeh pic.twitter.com/7K4HDLNc61
— Vox (@voxdotcom) September 19, 2017
Venezuela and Syria were mentioned as well during the speech. The president criticized the Maduro administration, calling it a “socialist dictatorship” that “has inflicted terrible pain and suffering on the good people of that country.”
Trump called on the UN to de-escalate the Syrian conflict and honor the will of the Syrian people.
“The actions of the criminal regime of Bashar al-Assad, including the use of chemical weapons against his own citizens — even innocent children — shock the conscience of every decent person,” he said of the Syrian president.
The many world leaders around the room reacted with mostly shocked silence. There was applause during Trump’s talk of sovereignty and the will of the people but only murmurs during the blatant attacks on individual countries.
Many have criticized his use of unprofessional language and attacks while some praised Trump’s revival of assertive US foreign policy. Regardless, one thing is for sure: Trump has gotten the world’s attention.
