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In U.N. Speech, President Trump Threatens North Korea, Iran and Venezuela

HeadlineSep 20, 2017

President Trump gave his first address to the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, boasting about the size of the U.S. military, threatening to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, hinting at an intervention in Venezuela and threatening to “totally destroy” North Korea. The 40-minute speech was reportedly written by Trump’s senior adviser Stephen Miller and did not call out other authoritarian countries that are U.S. allies, including Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. In his sharpest of many threats, Trump called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “Rocket Man” and said the U.S. was prepared to destroy an entire nation of 25 million people.

President Donald Trump: “The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.”

North Korea’s ambassador walked out of the General Assembly just as Trump took the podium. Iran’s government condemned Trump’s remarks as “shameless and ignorant,” while Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said from Caracas that Trump is the “new Hitler” of international politics.

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