President Trump told world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly today that “America is governed by Americans,” thus “we reject the ideology of globalism and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism.”
Trump, who showed up late for his speech resulting in the assembly changing the order of speakers, said he “didn’t expect” laughter from the assembly when he opened his address today boasting of progress under his administration.
“Today, I stand before the United Nations General Assembly to share the extraordinary progress we’ve made. In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country. America’s — so true,” he said, pausing as many in the chamber laughed.
“Didn’t expect that reaction, but that’s OK,” Trump said. Some in the assembly applauded before he moved on with his speech.
In the speech written by senior advisor Stephen Miller with input from National Security Advisor John Bolton, Trump talked about domestic employment rates, tax cuts and military spending before declaring the U.S. “will always choose independence and cooperation over global governance, control and domination.”
“I honor the right of every nation in this room to pursue its own customs, beliefs and traditions. The United States will not tell you how to live or work or worship. We only ask that you honor our sovereignty in return,” he said.
The president slammed the Iran nuclear deal and said he’s “committed to a future of peace and stability in the region, including peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians” before adding that “America’s policy of principled realism means we will not be held hostage to old dogmas, discredited ideologies and so-called experts who have been proven wrong over the years time and time again.”
“This is true not only in matters of peace but in matters of prosperity. We believe that trade must be fair and reciprocal. The United States will not be taken advantage of any longer,” he said before criticizing “broken and bad trade deals.”
Trump said he has “great respect and affection for my friend President Xi” Jinping of China, but said he “made clear” that “China’s market distortions and the way they deal cannot be tolerated.”
On rejecting globalism, Trump noted that “around the world, responsible nations must defend against threats to sovereignty, not just from global governments but also from other new forms of coercion and domination.”
“In America, we believe strongly in energy security for ourselves and for our allies. We have become the largest energy producer anywhere on the face of the Earth. The United States stands ready to export our abundant, affordable supply of oil, clean coal and natural gas. OPEC and OPEC nations are, as usual, ripping off the rest of the world and I don’t like it. Nobody should like it,” he said.
“We defend many of these nations for nothing, and then they take advantage of us by giving us high oil prices. Not good. We want them to stop raising prices, we want them to start lowering prices, and they must contribute substantially to military protection from now on. We are not going to put up with it — these horrible prices — much longer.”
Gas prices in the U.S. have risen about 30 cents per gallon over the past year, according to AAA.
Trump moved back to the “interference of foreign nations in this hemisphere and in our own affairs” and said the U.S. would not participate in the new global compact on migration because “we recognize the right of every nation in this room to set its own immigration policy in accordance with its national interests, just as we ask other countries to respect our own right to do the same, which we are doing.”
“The United States is the world’s largest giver in the world, by far, of foreign aid, but few give anything to us. That is why we are taking a hard look at U.S. foreign assistance,” he said. “…Moving forward, we are only going to give foreign aid to those who respect us and, frankly, are our friends.”
At the conclusion of the speech, Trump singled out four countries for individual praise: India, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Poland.
“Sovereign and independent nations are the only vehicle where freedom has ever survived, democracy has ever endured or peace has ever prospered. And so we must protect our sovereignty and our cherished independence above all,” he said. “…So together, let us choose a future of patriotism, prosperity and pride.”
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