Brace Yourself for Another Trump Speech to the U.N. General Assembly

Brace Yourself for Another Trump Speech to the U.N. General Assembly
President Donald Trump addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, Sept. 24, 2019 (AP photo by Evan Vucci).

Like other world leaders, U.S. President Donald Trump is not traveling to New York for this week’s U.N. General Assembly due to the coronavirus pandemic, delivering a pre-recorded video address instead. But while the format may be peculiar, the substance of what he will say could be more familiar, and jarring. Trump has addressed the assembly three times since taking office, and he tends to repeat certain themes each year, often with one eye on his domestic audience.

Here are five points to look out for in Tuesday’s speech.

China: The president is almost certain to devote a significant chunk of his speech to criticizing Beijing. He said little about China in his first General Assembly outing in 2017, other than thanking it for its help in dealing with the North Korean nuclear threat. But in his last two speeches to the U.N., he attacked the Chinese for undermining American businesses, especially manufacturing.

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