OPINION:
Each year at the gathering of world leaders known at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the president of the United States has the opportunity, as the U.N. host country, to speak to the world before almost everyone else. It is an opportunity to address world affairs, mark out American positions and exercise diplomacy on steroids.
President Trump took to the podium Tuesday morning. The two parts of the speech highlighted by nearly every news outlet will be when he mused about the option to annihilate Iran and when he spoke of the Venezuelan oil deal and then offhandedly muttered, “to the victor belong the spoils.”
While those two comments will certainly provide ample fodder for network talking heads to stir the international political pot, Mr. Trump’s speech was actually well-crafted, calmly delivered and, in total, on target. It even managed to draw some applause from the normally stoic U.N. audience a couple of times.
In remarks intended as much for his domestic audience as the international one, Mr. Trump set the table with a victory lap on his administration’s achievements this term, including immigration enforcement gains, military strength and dramatic crime drops in American cities. As elections draw near, Mr. Trump and his political party have been subject to intense criticism and this offered an opportunity for him to remind people of accomplishments as well.
He then pivoted to achievements on the international stage, specifically in Gaza. He noted where things stood when he came back into office in January 2025, paying close attention to the plight of Hamas hostages and how his team was able to negotiate the return of all hostages, living and deceased.
Mr. Trump then tackled the thorny and unpopular issue of the U.S. conflict with Iran. He laid out Iran’s track record of chaos throughout the region and used it to explain why they should never have access to a nuclear weapon. He talked about them being the bully of the Middle East.
On substance, it was an effective argument. He courted controversy, however, when he mused aloud about having a decision to make on whether to annihilate the Islamic Republic or to come to a deal. He followed it up by clearly stating he preferred a deal, but that part will surely be lost on most news outlets. The clicks and views will come from the annihilation option. Largely ignored will be his comments on Iran’s great potential if it chooses a wise path.
He then completed the positive sandwich around Iran by talking about his administration’s role in settling eight wars and conflicts, quoting from letters and conversations with affected world leaders. Again, on the actual content of the speech, it was quite effective.
He dove into Venezuela and how, together with the South American country’s reserves, the U.S. controls more than 60% of the world’s oil market. Make a note of that because if Mr. Trump is eventually successful in Iran, you can expect agreements that drive the U.S. controlling interest number even higher. If the goal is long-term stability, America controlling upwards of 2/3 of the world’s oil could go a long way towards achieving it.
Moving on, Mr. Trump pointed out there is no global government and there must never be a global tax. He also criticized the International Criminal Court and was clear about why the U.S. has not and will not sign on.
He hit one more hot spot before winding up. He is a cheerleader of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a world that is growing fearful of it. Realizing the term AI may be compromised, Trump offered up a rebrand, terming it Super Intelligence (SI) rather than AI. He joked at his own expense about whether or not others will follow his new suggested name of SI.
He concluded with comments about unity, about hope and about a bright future.
There is no shortage of media pundits and world leaders who dislike Mr. Trump and vilify his every word. There are certainly times when he says things that shock even the most seasoned anchors.
This Trump speech, however, taken as a whole, addressed all the topics one would hope for and explained the American position with clarity. Agree or disagree with him, Mr. Trump left no ambiguity. The scorecard? A solid A.
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