Trump Plugs His Tower in UN Debut

Plus calls for reform
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 18, 2017 4:20 PM CDT
Trump Wants to 'Make UN Great. Not Again,' Just Great
United States President Donald Trump attends a meeting during the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Monday, Sept. 18, 2017.   (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

President Trump's big speech to the full United Nations assembly is on Tuesday, but he also spoke Monday at the opening session of the annual General Assembly meetings in New York, his UN debut. He called out the UN for "mismanagement" and other problems causing it to fail to reach its "full potential" lately, and said member states should look at ways to change "business as usual" and "ways of the past which were not working." Trump, who was also critical of the UN during the presidential campaign, promised to partner with the UN in its work, the Washington Post reports. While talking to reporters at the start of the four-day conference, he said he wants to help "make the United Nations great. Not again. Make the United Nations great. Such tremendous potential, and I think we'll be able to do this."

He also plugged the residential skyscraper Trump World Tower, one of his own development projects completed in 2001 that sits across from UN headquarters. "I actually saw great potential right across the street, to be honest with you, and it was only for the reason that the United Nations was here that that turned out to be such a successful project," he said, comparing that "potential" to the potential the UN has if it pledges itself to reform, per Politico. The comment made headlines, with USA Today going with simply, "Well then" to lead off its article on the subject. There was also much reaction on Twitter, like this: "Seeing Trump plug his Trump World Tower at the UN General Assembly was like watching an ad before a YouTube video of a dumpster fire." Click for what to expect from the rest of his time with the UN. (More President Trump stories.)

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