President Trump Arrives for His U.N. Debut, With Baggage

(NEW YORK) — President Donald Trump is making his debut at the United Nations and taking his complaints about the world body straight to the source. In his first appearance as president, Trump on Monday was addressing a U.S.-sponsored event on reforming the 193-member organization he has sharply criticized. As a candidate for president, Trump labeled the U.N. as weak and incompetent, and not a friend of either the United States or Israel. But he has softened his tone since taking office, telling ambassadors from U.N. Security Council member countries at a White House meeting this year that the U.N. has “tremendous potential.” Trump more recently has praised a pair of unanimous council votes to tighten sanctions on North Korea over its continued nuclear weapon and ballistic missile tests. Trump and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will speak at the meeting. The U.S. has asked member nations to sign a declaration on U.N. reforms, and more than 100 have done so. The president wants the U.N. to cut spending and make other operational changes. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said Trump’s criticisms were accurate at the time, but that it is now a “new day” at the U.N. An organization that “talked a lot but didn’t have a lot of action” has given way to a “United Nations that’s action-oriented,” she said, noting the Security Council votes on North Korea this month. Guterres has proposed a ma...
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