There were subtle indications among the world’s leaders that while Trump must still be reckoned with, some are going their own way. President Donald Trump meets with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham during the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday at the U.N. headquarters. | Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP President Donald Trump was again the center of attention at the United Nations on Tuesday, as world leaders scrambled to stay in his good graces. But behind the headlines, there was an undercurrent of discontent — and even defiance — from some leaders who are seemingly preparing for a life after the U.S.-led order.
After Trump threatened to “annihilate” elements of Iran, some allies sounded the alarm. I mean, this is clearly a massive violation of the whole principle of the U.N.,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in an interview. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, one of Trump’s principal critics on the world stage, didn’t meet with the American president.
Instead, he pushed for less reliance on traditional American power, even as he’s courting new investors including China — with his U.S. trade war a key selling point. The push came after Trumprejected global AI oversight. And Cuba’s delegation walked out on Trump’s speech after the president said his administration was “seeking a fundamental change” in Havana.
At home, Trump faces grim polling numbers and mounting criticism — including from members of his own party — fearful they are about to be swept from power. And while he still commanded the spotlight at the United Nations — telling reporters his envoys met with the Iranian delegation, holding meetings with Gulf allies and winning plaudits from Latin America — the critics sounded more confident. Even some of Trump’s wins were tempered.
After threatening to conquer Greenland, the Danes appeared to placate Trump with a deal, albeit one that seemed similar to the status quo. There are very few that are willing to publicly take him on,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told POLITICO on Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N.
Murphy, however, warned against confusing the praise with respect. The major event of Trump’s day was the signing of a deal between the U.S., Greenland and Denmark that bars any non-NATO nation from opening a base on the island or mining for critical minerals or rare earths without the agreement of the three signatories. The Trump administration quickly boasted that the U.S. will build two new bases on the island.
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