Throughout Trump’s presidency, he has repeatedly affirmed that his strategy for international relations is an “America First” agenda.
We have seen the effects of this extreme policy since Trump’s term began nine months ago. With this goal in mind, he has started a trade war with Mexico and Canada and expressed plans to annex Greenland and Canada, two historic American allies, as well as regain control of the Panama Canal. These are just a few of many extreme moves to promote America’s presence in the world.
While I think “America First” is a good guiding principle for our country, the way that Trump has carried it out has been incredibly problematic. I don’t think it’s helping America in the long run to distance ourselves from allies and isolate the nation as a whole.
Trump’s approach to the United Nations (UN) is another example of the heightened animosity towards globalism. Since taking office in January, Trump has withdrawn the U.S. from the Human Rights Council and pulled funding from the Relief and Works Agency, citing concerns about the aid it provides to Palestinian refugees.
Because of these bold and unprecedented moves, all eyes were on Trump at the recent UN assembly in New York. His address lasted over an hour and included discussion of everything from immigration to climate change.
He also firmly upheld the sovereignty of the United States:“America is blessed with the strongest economy, the strongest borders, the strongest military, the strongest friendships and the strongest spirit of any nation on the face of the earth. This is indeed the Golden Age of America.” He even attacked the UN for its globalism and claimed it was moving in the wrong direction.
He also defended the increasing immigration effort by his administration and harshly judged other countries for their less restrictive immigration policies. Since the beginning of 2025, over 400,000 people have been deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These deportations have been violent and often without cause or aggravation.
While Trump’s speech garnered a lot of international attention, the most highly discussed moments of the day were due to technological failures at Trump’s expense. Just as he and the first lady stepped onto an escalator, it broke down and stopped moving. His teleprompter also failed right before his speech.
Members of the Trump administration have accused the UN of intentionally doing these things to embarrass Trump. To me, this seems like they are detracting from the substance and problematic nature of Trump’s speech in order to cast him as the victim of some sort of attack.
