President Trump will address the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday and brandish his reputation as a peacemaker, while also dealing with several insoluble conflicts raging across the globe.
Mr. Trump has plenty of foreign policy wins to highlight in his speech before roughly 150 world leaders. He secured the release of Hamas hostages, committed millions in funding to address famine in Gaza, and successfully damaged Iran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons. The president has claimed he’s successfully ended seven wars.
It is a record he and other world leaders think is worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize, and Mr. Trump will try to advance his bid for that honor while at the U.N.
However, the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine persist; Mr. Trump has deployed warships to Venezuela after sinking three boats from the nation the White House says was carrying drugs; and nuclear tensions remain with Iran.
Mr. Trump is expected to use his speech to promote a peace through strength agenda, but that will require him to navigate a rhetorical tightrope. On one hand, he needs to warn U.S. adversaries against escalating conflicts, but he also has to temper his remarks so it doesn’t seem like he’s come to the United Nations to threaten war.
“His speech is going to be driven by how much he really believes he has a chance of getting the Nobel Peace Prize,” said Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “If he thinks it’s still something he can do, then I think he knows you don’t go to the UN and drop a grenade down a tank hatch and shut it.”
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“So instead of being a condemnation [of other nations] for past behavior, I think it will be a demand for future behaviors,” Mr. Montgomery said.
Mr. Trump has long insisted he should receive the Nobel Prize, but recently has cooled towards the prestigious accolade, saying he’s not seeking attention but wants to “save lives.”
Speaking to reporters last week, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the global tensions will need to be addressed at this week’s General Assembly.
“We are gathering in turbulent – even uncharted – waters, Mr. Guterres said. “Geopolitical divides widening, conflicts raging, impunity escalating, our planet overheating. And international cooperation is straining under pressure unseen in our lifetimes.”
Mr. Guterres said that addressing those issues will fall upon Mr. Trump and the U.S.
“The UN has very strong efforts in peace mediation … but we have no carrots and no sticks,” Mr. Guterres said. “The United States has carrots and sticks.”
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The U.N. Security Council is the organization’s only body that can impose sanctions on conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, but it won’t because both the U.S. and Russia have veto power.
Mr. Trump will have a busy day of diplomacy Tuesday, with plans for sit-downs with as many as 20 world leaders.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday he will meet with Mr. Trump and urge the U.S. to impose more sanctions on Moscow if Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to reject peace talks.
“We expect sanctions if there is no meeting between the leaders or, for example, no ceasefire,” Mr. Zelenskyy said recently
Mr. Trump is also expected to sit down with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The two last met in May, which led to Mr. Trump easing sanctions against Syria.
Even if Mr. Trump works to entice peace, it’s unclear if anyone at the General Assembly will listen to him. He is not popular at the U.N. and is slashing U.S. funding for the U.N.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Guterres have not spoken about any topic of substance in nearly a year.
Since returning to the White House, Mr. Trump has pulled America out of the U.N. Human Rights Council, stopped funding for the U.N.’s Palestinian relief agency and stopped U.S. engagement with the U.N.’s cultural organization, UNESCO.
Mr. Trump said the U.N. has “great potential,” but also needs to “get its act together.” He’s accused the global intergovernmental organization of being poorly managed and failing to help him broker peace in various international conflicts.
The president is further expected to inflame tensions by calling for U.N. members to do more to help humanitarian efforts.
“For decades, the United States has led the world in shouldering the burden of international humanitarian assistance,” the State Department wrote in an email shared with U.S. embassies outlining its priorities for the General Assembly meetings.
The U.S. has always been the largest donor to the U.N. In 2023, America contributed $13 billion to the United Nations and its agencies. Of that total, 24% was assessed contributions and 75% was voluntary.
Mr. Montgomery said the president will likely call out the nations, but in a diplomatic way, unlike the more combative speeches he delivered during his first term.
“He’s evolved and become a more wisened president in terms of how the power works,” Mr. Montgomery said. “If he wants that you don’t do it by flattening the earth around him at the U.N., but rather building them up, saying this is what I demand from you, not this is where I condemn you.”
However, the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine are expected to be the bulk of Mr. Trump’s remarks. The war between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip has lasted more than two years, and the humanitarian crisis has worsened in the Palestinian enclave. Famine has taken hold and is only expected to worsen by the end of the month.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to address the General Assembly on Friday. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Gaza, which both he and the U.S. have denied. His speech comes after Israel unleashed a massive ground assault in Gaza on Sept. 16.
“We will remind the world once again that this war will not end with the hostages left behind in Gaza,” Israel’s United Nations ambassador told reporters.
Meanwhile, France is hoping to push forward a formal recognition of a Palestinian state. The idea is supported by Australia, Belgium, Canada and the U.K.
Then there is Russia’s more than three-year-old war in Ukraine. Mr. Zelenskyy and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will also address the General Assembly. When Mr. Lavrov addressed the General Assembly last year, he blamed Ukraine for the war.
