US President Donald Trump's speech at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly almost tripled the limit: instead of the allotted 15 minutes, he spoke for about 40 minutes. During this time, the president managed to call on all countries to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, threatened to “destroy” Iran, compared Mexican drug cartels to the terrorist organization ISIS, and advocated renaming artificial intelligence (AI) to superintelligence. What the media write about the speech of the US President and how his speech this year differed from his speech at the General Assembly a year earlier – in the RTVI material.
Fox News notes the “serious and formal tone” of Trump's speech. According to the publication, this manner indicates that the past year has become a test of optimism and patience both for the president himself and for American society. NBC News calls Trump's presentation triumphant: the president spent a long time listing the achievements of his administration and presented what was happening in the United States as a “rebirth” of the country.
Trump devoted a significant part of his speech to Iran. According to The Hill, the president sought to demonstrate the US's ability to continue the military campaign, despite reports of a serious shortage of ammunition, which, according to media reports, could already affect the planning of some operations. Trump himself rejected these reports. According to him, the United States is now producing ammunition “in volumes that have never been seen before.”
Trump once again announced that he would need to make a “big decision” regarding Iran. He indicated that an agreement with Iran would be reached immediately after the midterm elections in the United States. It will make the Islamic Republic one of the greatest countries – otherwise Trump promised to “send Iran to hell.”
From Iran, Trump moved on to the situation in the Western Hemisphere. As last year, the head of the White House again emphasized his administration’s commitment to an active policy in the region, Fox News notes.
He portrayed the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as a success for the administration, especially in controlling oil resources. NPR points out that this rhetoric is markedly different from Washington's traditional approach, which typically does not directly link foreign interventions to access to natural resources. The publication also notes that such statements contrast with the principles of the UN.
The New York Times (NYT), in turn, writes that Trump significantly exaggerated the oil potential of the United States and Venezuela. The president said that the two countries account for about 60% of the world's oil reserves, while, according to the publication's calculations, their combined share of proven reserves is approximately 22%.
Speaking about Cuba, Trump said his administration is committed to “fundamentally” changing the situation on the island. He also accused Havana of coordinating with “radical leftists and communist networks” in the US for “decades.” The US President called neighboring Mexico the epicenter of violence from drug cartels, and the cartels “ISIS of the Western Hemisphere.”
Trump also said that the United States carried out dozens of strikes on drug cartel ships and, thanks to this, blocked 97% of drug trafficking entering the country by sea. According to the NYT, there is no confirmation of these data, and the statements themselves were previously disputed, including by representatives of the administration.
Less “dramatic” Trump
As Fox News notes, this time Trump was noticeably more restrained regarding the UN. He criticized the organization's bureaucracy several times, but at the same time spoke positively about the UN Security Council resolution condemning Iran's attacks on international shipping.
Reuters also draws attention to the fact that the current speech as a whole turned out to be less “dramatic” than Trump’s speech last year. This time, the president did not make new attacks on the UN and never mentioned that the United States intended to withdraw from any structure of the organization.
Trump spoke out more harshly regarding the International Criminal Court – the president called it “an institution out of control” and called on the countries participating in the court to immediately withdraw from the membership.
Rating drop
The American media pay attention to the domestic political context of the speech. As The Hill emphasizes, Trump's speech came just a few weeks before the midterm elections in the United States, in which Republicans risk losing their majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Trump's approval rating in the United States has dropped to a record low of 32%, and dissatisfaction with his handling of the war with Iran and the high cost of living is growing among Republicans, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday.
NBC News gives different numbers, but records the same trend. According to a TV channel poll, 41% of Americans approve of Trump's job performance – this is the lowest figure during his second presidential term. NBC also notes that as the midterm elections loom, some Republican candidates in competitive districts and states are trying to distance themselves from the president.
