Trump Has New Message at UN for N. Korea's 'Rocket Man'

'We will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea' if it attacks
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 19, 2017 9:41 AM CDT
Trump to UN: We'll Destroy North Korea If Necessary
President Trump speaks during the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.   (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

President Trump delivered his first-ever speech to the full UN General Assembly Tuesday, and he didn't mince words about North Korea. The North's nuclear arsenal threatens the "entire world," he said, and if the US must defend itself or an ally, "we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea." Using his new nickname for Kim Jong Un, he added that "Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself." Other topics and big lines: (The Washington Post has a transcript.)

  • Iran: Trump called the nation a "rogue" state and labeled the nuclear deal struck under President Obama an "embarrassment to the United States." Trump also hinted that the US might eventually declare it null and void, saying, "I don't think you've heard the end of it."

  • America first: "I will always put America first. Just like you, the leaders of your countries, should always put your countries first."
  • Warning: "The United States will forever be a great friend to the world, and especially to its allies. But we can no longer be taken advantage of, or enter into a one-sided deal where the United States gets nothing in return."
  • 'Going to hell': "We meet at a time of immense promise and great peril," Trump said. "It is up to us whether we will lift the world to new heights or let it fall into a valley of disrepair." He added that "major portions of the world are in conflict and some, in fact, are going to hell."
  • Amplifying that: "If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph."
  • Losers: "The United States and our allies are working together throughout the Middle East to crush the loser terrorists and stop the reemergence of safe havens they use to launch attacks on all of our people."
  • America's example: "In America, we do not seek to ... impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to watch."
  • Security Council slam: "We also thank the secretary-general for recognizing that the United Nations must reform if it is to be an effective partner in confronting threats to sovereignty, security, and prosperity. ... For example, it is a massive source of embarrassment to the United Nations that some governments with egregious human rights records sit on the U.N. Human Rights Council."
(More President Trump stories.)

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