Speaking at the United Nations on Tuesday, President Donald Trump delivered one of the most powerful speeches of his presidency thus far.
The speech was an emphatic rejection of President Barack Obama’s “leading from behind” mantra, giving an assertive defense of American leadership on the world stage. The president also delivered strong condemnations of an array of dictatorial regimes, including North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba.
The speech could not have been more different in style and substance than Obama’s weak-kneed and deferential approach in past speeches to the U.N. Obama’s tenure as leader of the free world was marked by weakness, confusion, indecision, and at times outright appeasement of U.S. adversaries.
It was refreshing to hear a U.S. president who was not ashamed to proclaim the interests of his own country.
The U.N. General Assembly is traditionally a lion’s den for Republican U.S. presidents, but Trump showed no desire to temper his message before leaders from 193 countries, many of whom harbor a deep-seated antipathy for the United States.
Global leadership is not a popularity contest, and Trump showed little interest in winning applause from a General Assembly that had regularly regaled his predecessor with standing ovations.
This was a speech that was tough, uncompromising, and crystal clear in its messaging. The enemies of the United States will be left with no doubt that the United States will aggressively confront them and halt their ambitions to threaten the free world.
In particular, the president targeted North Korea and Iran. He delivered the Iranian regime the heaviest fire it has received in many years, making clear that he views Iran as a “rogue nation” and the nuclear deal signed by Obama as an “embarrassment.”
Trump’s speech was the clearest indication yet that he may walk away from the failed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which is currently subject to a review by the Trump administration.
In marked contrast to the supranationalist approach of the Obama administration, Trump’s speech celebrated sovereignty and self-determination. It came as a rallying cry in defense of the nation-state and a rejection of the notion that national sovereignty should be weakened or surrendered.
Coming in the wake of Brexit, Trump’s remarks in New York are a reminder that the defense of sovereignty is fundamental to the protection of liberty and freedom.
That is a message that should be heeded not only at the U.N., but also in Brussels, where the European Commission is recklessly driving forward with plans for an increasingly centralized federal Europe that would diminish national sovereignty.
As president, Obama spent much of his time on the world stage apologizing for his own countryand seeking to accommodate the enemies of the free world. After eight years of dangerous global retreat, Trump demonstrated on Tuesday that American leadership really does matter and that he will confront dictatorial regimes that threaten global security.
At a time when the U.S. and its allies face mounting threats, this is exactly the right message to send.
From - The Daily Signal - by Nile Gardiner
right on PaulE and Sarge, I’m so glad we have a leader that tells it like it is and have the guts to say so……l hate to say it but l often have said a democrat will stab you in the chest but a republican will pat you on the back (like they really going to change things) and later they stabs you in the back or in other words they don’t do anything thing they say they were going to do and a lot of them too are against President Trump but boy Obama got most anything he wanted and the republicans did nothing….l just hope we can vote these people out and replace them with better people who loves this country or in other words drain the swamp
The U.S. need to get out of the U.N. and the U.N. needs to get out of the U.S.
I could not be more proud that I voted for President Trump. I believed in him then and I believe in him more now. He is a God-fearing, God-loving good man and is just what this Country needed. I want to thank all of the millions or people who prayed so much for President Trump to win the 2016 election. God is listening; and when God listens to our prayers and decides to take action nothing and no one can stop Him! Keep praying for President Trump. Satan wants nothing more than to destroy him. We must support our new President wholeheartedly in this great spiritual war – which is what it is. The world is in a great war of good against evil and we must do our part by diligently praying every day to see that good wins. We also must look at ourselves and make sure that we, too, are doing the right thing in putting God first in our lives. He is the one who keeps us every day and He is the one who will judge us when our time in this world is up. God be with all of my fellow Americans who realize this truth and are praying for good to win.
Who doesnt love Donald J Trump!
Big government Lefty Socialists, Multi-cultural Globalists, Lobbyists, jihadis, and Mitch McConnell
And CNN
Ok, you got me. I was referring to the good people, you know who I mean.
Obama did not “lead from behind”. In fact he did not “lead” at all. He blindly followed the dictates of his Globalist, Communist and Muslim masters.
And look at the bloody mess he left in his wake.
Then look at the billions of ignorant fools that are perfectly willing to live in that mess.
It’s becoming more and more obvious that these are the End Times. Nothing else can explain the absolute madness of our age.
Tom,
Strong words, but true nevertheless!
Is it totally absurd to think just the opposite? It could be the beginning of times. I think we may be
having an awakening. We’ll see in the next couple of yrs. President Trump is standing conventional thinking on its ears.
Way to go Donald Trump.
us china and Russia should be one global force for good and go in business together and make money together
When the US is facing a megalomaniacal tyrant like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, it’s reassuring to remember that President Trump will NOT be using the “strategic patience” model embraced by his predecessor. But if we maintain the “don’t strike first” policy, I wonder where that leaves us and our allies if No. Korea would be foolish enough to attack us. Let’s hope that intelligence is up to snuff.
Defending the borders and supporting a strong military will keep the United States safe through the coming years. Those one world/open border idealists forget that an impenetrable border defines a nation. At least now we have a president who takes it seriously. And the world knows it.
Well said Kim. Calm, reasoned response. While I am sure there are many people in Wasington encouraging Trump to maintain the “no first strike policy” at all costs with respect to North Korea, waiting until Kim Jong Un finally launches a multi-missile nuclear attack against either us or one of our allies would be fool hardy. Either millions of dead Americans and the loss of one or more U.S. cities or similar results to one of our allies. I get the “peace at any price” crowd and their belief that Un is completely sane and rational and of course must share our respect for human life. All of which flies in the face of his personal history and how he treats his own people. Just like the crowd that surrounded Chamberlain, who were supremely confudent that Hitler could be reasoned with, the consequences for under-estimating Un would be immense.
Also don’t think the Iranian Mullahs are not watching this whole situation with North Korea closely. They are looking for weaknesses from us, that they will be able to exploit when they resume their nuclear weapons program in a few years. Of course that program nevervstopped, but we have no way to verify that, since the Iranians are allowed to do self-inspection if their own facilities under the Obama agreement.
Thanks, PaulE
The fact that Kim Jong Un has ordered the murder of at least one of his own relatives and forces his countrymen to starve in order to finance his goal of becoming a nuclear nation convinces me that he WILL send loaded rockets this way…unless he is stopped by a proactive, protective president. I hope we can rely on intelligence sources to indicate the right moment to push the button; I do not have much of a problem with our striking first.
Yes, the Iran deal is a joke. Many thanks to Congressman Pompeo, I believe, who picked up from a casual dinner conversation the absurdities of this agreement.
Sorry about the redundancy; I don’t know how that happened!
Kim,
Right on!! Remember though, keep the prayers going. Prayer is absolutely essential for the positive outcome of our world.
The President delivered a perfect level-setting speech that not only the UN. members in attendance needed to hear, but the American people as well. Outstanding on all counts! It set the proper tone and expectations for what America’s allies needed to hear after 8 years of being both disrespected and insulted by Obama and also reset what America’s enemies and those that seek to do us harm need to understand about how we WILL be dealing with them going forward, if they do not change. Again, all in sharp contrast to the appeasement and “leading from behind” mentality of the Obama years that de-stabilized unnecessarily so many areas of the globe.
The language Trump used was very straight-forward and unambiguous, which is of course NOT what the members of the U.N. are used to hearing. That was a very good thing, as part of the goal of the speech was to make it crystal clear to everyone where the United States under President Trump would stand. Did this upset our left-wing dominated media? Sure, but they are going to hate Trump no matter what he says or does short of announcing his immediate resignation. So I could care less how our mainstream media viewed Trump’s speech.
Of course the mainstream media, which is just the propaganda arm if the Democrat Party, is going to rant and rave no end about how Trump is 1) threatening some foreign countries, namely North Korea and Iran, who have in case anyone has forgotten both threatened to eventually destroy us and have taken active steps to eventually pose a military risk to the citizens of this country or 2) demanded that the other member nations of the U.N. begin to take a more active role in paying for the U.N.’s operating budget, in-line with their county’s economic means instead of expecting the United States to continue to foot 25 percent of the entire U.N. budget. I have the same lack of concern, by the way, for all the Democrats in Washington that quickly ran out to scream before waiting TV cameras and radio microphones about exactly the same things using the exact same talking points both groups share amongst themselves.
So again, great speech very well delivered.
Right on Paul. Have you given any thought to the idea the left is running out of gas? I imagine people are so lost in the present that its gone unnoticed. Just a feeling i have, but I’m getting the idea all this anti Trump, pro global, progressive idealogy is losing steam. Its creeping away. I think theyve had their run. Just a thought
HI Sarge,
I don’t see any evidence that the mainstream media here or overseas, the leaders of the Democrat Party, almost all the western European leaders, the various progressive organizations in this country that function as either think tanks or as mobile protest / attack groups are either running out of gas or dialing back on their agenda in any way. Nor do I see any of the globalist factions from overseas scaling back on their push to bring the United States in-line with the Paris Accords, so the United States would make $100 billion, yes that is billion not million, a year in payments to other countries under the guise of addressing climate change.
I have regularly spoken with lots of young people in both high school and college for years and at least 85 percent of them have been thoroughly indoctrinated in progressive ideology. Pick ip a current social studies text book and see for yourself what passes for U.S. and world history these days. All these young people consider socialism the ONLY “fair and just” ideology that a country should be centered on and that capitalism is evil and should be destroyed. That is what has been taught in our schools for decades and I don’t see any of that being dialed back.
What gives you the impression that all the anti-Trump, anti-capitalism / pro-socialism ideology is losing steam?
More than anything, its just a feeling. You see I have a perspective acquired from being in the trenches all my life. Im just a guy with a HS education thats pounded the ground either in the military or in private business. I live where I tell my wife she’s the only white girl within 2 or 3 blocks. I didn’t see a single immigrant go to the polls this last election (I live right next to my polling station, and I’m around all day) I see where people are saying they’re voting by mail. I live with these people every day. I know them, theyre not mailing in their vote.For petes sake, they pay their rent in cash.
Regarding the global thing. The UK doesnt want the EU. Neither Hungry nor Poland are thrilled with the EU. Merkel hasnt the power she thinks she has. Your right, it appears what you say is true, pretty much all of it. But its a waning movement at the peak of its being. Geez, they want to admit Turkey to the EU. That should tell you every thing you need to know.
Man i need to add this. Your 85% is top heavy in college millennials. Do you have contact with the actual hard working young to middle age people in America. My son has 50-60 employees, mostly mexicans. He told me the other day, none of them are for daca, only a very few were for hillary. But here’s the clincher: NONE OF THEM VOTED!!! And when they shouted down Nancy the other day, didn’t that tell you something??? They dont even know who their enemies are.
Thanks for asking for my thoughts. This is the most I’ve thought in years.
Paul, I’m saying things aren’t what they seem. America is turning to President Trump in droves, they love him. Im not talking about the millennials living in their parents basement.
I dont pretend to compete with your intellect, but I don’t think your asking me to. Just a perspective from an ordinary guy.
Things are not what they seem.
Oh ya, one more thing. The democrat party doesn’t have any leadership, none.
But Sarge, neither does the Republican. And as it appears to me, although Communism seemed to have failed in the Soviet, it’s alive and well in America, sadly.
Ivan, are we pretending Donald doesn’t exists? I still don’t understand all this communism stuff. In my everyday life, I have zero experience with communism. This is what I keep trying to get across , I never see throngs of illegals walking the streets or communist pounding their drums. I just see people just living their lives. Just getting by. I was a kid back in the 50s, we used to play war games in the bomb shelters they were building. There was more communism then, then now. Anybody that doesn’t think President Trump is the leader of the republicans is ….well never mind. Later guy
Nope Sarge, I’m not the one pretending.
Paul,did you see the week President Trump just had?? FYI I never refer to President Trump as Trump. I see people refer to Trump as Trump and i cant stand it. They never did that for any other president. But back on subject, the wk of 9-13 Oct, President Trump ended an agreement with the UN, Signed an EO on health care, decertified the iranian deal, and darn it one other big deal i cant seem to remember. Every time he does these things he brings in more supporters. This is what i refer to when i talk about just “a feeling” Darn it i wish i could think of the 4th thing. He made 4 major moves that absolutely nobody else would have done. Do me a favor, kick back, close your eyes, take a big breath, think only about President Trump and the moves he’s made, maybe you’ll feel the magic thats starting to roll. Oh ya, the NFL thing, thats the 4th thing. The Man is an absolute genius, and very special. He takes conventional thinking and stands it on its ear. Once in a while, someone comes along thats above all peers. Its a special place, for a special person.
I hope you get a chance to read this. Incredible things are going on. I knew in nov 2015. Maybe some day i can explain my ability to have a feeling. I’m not sure you’d understand yet.
It’s about time we had a real leader step up to bat for the United States. After 2 many years of apologizing for being the greatest nation in the world, it is refreshing and empowering to hear this speech. Count me in the 71% also!
Simply Awesome! The America Haters and One World Tyranny Supporters are doing everything they can to disparage not only trump and this speech. But also anyone (and there are a great number of us) who agree with Trump. These America haters rightly see Trump, his rhetoric, and his supporters, as a huge obstacle to their takeover of the world.
Go Trump! You have a lot more support than anyone in the news media will ever admit.
Not sure what was more enjoyable:
Watching Trump speak the truth at the UN or
Watching the assembly of UN reps sitting there taking it in or
The media/left whining about the Trump speech.
Finally!!! Someone is seeing the real situation for what it is. BajaRon your comment is music to my ears. Im so tired of the doomsdayers. You have it right.
I didn’t get to hear the entire speech, but what I heard was powerful. It is so good to have a President who puts America first.
It was a great speech and much needed. Our President is elected to serve, protect, and defend our country, the people of the Unites States and no others, certainly not the UN. Other countries have leadership that can serve their interests, but none of them serve ours and they make that very clear. It is refreshing to have a president on our side. His predecessor sure wasn’t!
count me in with the the 71% of the seniors.