Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters “Your countries are going to hell” -- Trump Unleashes at the UN
It was Donald Trump’s fifth speech before the United Nations General Assembly.
It was also his most rambling.
For 55 minutes, the President of the United States riffed: on migration, windmills, hot air, London’s mayor, offshore oil in Aberdeen, even the flooring and décor of UN headquarters. At one point, Trump told the assembled world leaders: “Your countries are going to hell!”
But was there a method to this madness? What can we discern about U.S. foreign policy and Trump’s approach to the United Nations from this speech? Joining me for a timely conversation on these questions and more are Anjali Dayal and Maya Ungar—two seasoned UN watchers. Anjali Dayal, of course, is my To Save Us From Hell co-host and a professor of international relations at Fordham University. Maya Ungar is a UN analyst at the International Crisis Group.
We spoke just moments after Trump’s speech concluded, beginning with our knee-jerk reactions to a very odd address before turning to a longer conversation about what Trump’s UNGA remarks reveal about American foreign policy and its approach to the UN.