At United Nations, Trump threatens to 'totally destroy North Korea' if it continues on nuclear path

David Jackson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump mocks 'Rocket Man' Kim Jong Un President Donald Trump called on the United Nations to stop North Korea's leader from a "suicide mission."

UNITED NATIONS – In a stark address to the United Nations that raised the specter of nuclear warfare, President Trump threatened Tuesday to "totally destroy" North Korea if the United States is forced to defend itself or its allies in East Asia.

"Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime," Trump told the 193-member U.N. General Assembly, using a mocking nickname for North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un. Denouncing Pyongyang's "reckless" pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, Trump warned he would be prepared to take military action.

"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," he said, directly in front of North Korea's delegation, which drew front row seats through a U.N. lottery system.

Kim's nuclear ambitions threaten "the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life," Trump said, drawing murmurs among the usually quiet delegates.

Even as he addressed serious issues that could involve American forces, the reality television star-turned-president deployed a colorful array of Trumpian phrases to make his points before the traditionally staid United Nations delegates.

Trump called Iran a "murderous regime" and accused its government of seeking nuclear weapons, despite its agreement with the United States and allies to curtail its nuclear program. He pledged to crush "loser terrorists" throughout the Middle East and hold Venezuela's socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro accountable for imposing a "disastrous" authoritarian rule on his people. He lamented how many conflict zones around the world are "going to hell."

"To put it simply, we meet at a time of both of immense promise and great peril," he said.

Trump used his maiden speech at the U.N. to outline his vision of an "America First" foreign policy – and he suggested other countries follow his lead and prioritize the needs of their own citizens. "I will always put America first, just like you, as the leaders of your countries, will always and should always put your countries first," Trump said.

Still, Trump suggested that "America First" doesn't have to mean America acts alone. Trump encouraged individual countries to cooperate on mutual challenges when their interests align – especially when it comes to countering North Korea.

While the U.S. is willing and able to take military action, Trump said, he hoped it would not be necessary. "That’s what the United Nations is all about; that’s what the United Nations is for," he said. "Let’s see how they do."

As he did on the campaign trail, Trump made clear the U.S. is prepared to go its own way – and would not be a part of anything he considers a bad deal. "The United States will forever be a great friend to the world, and especially to its allies," Trump said, "but we can no longer be taken advantage of or enter into a one-sided deal where the United States gets nothing in return."

Trump's speech appeared designed to placate two audiences, said Stewart Patrick, senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations.

There's his political base, which wants to see Trump get tough with international bodies such as the U.N. – and U.S. allies, who worry about what that stance might mean for trade agreements, military operations, and multi-national peacekeeping efforts. "He made it clear the United States would pursues its own interests – and those interests would determine the level of cooperation," Patrick said.

Trump's headline-grabbing phrases were no accident, either. Trump's "Rocket Man" jab was "made for television," added Richard Gowan, a United Nations expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations – though the unusual rhetoric in the wide-ranging "must have unnerved a lot of foreign leaders."

Indeed, Trump's 42-minute speech did not impress some world leaders.

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza told reporters "we do not accept threats from President Trump or whoever in this world."

Even some allies expressed concerns. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is not attending the United Nations this week, told reporters "there can only be a diplomatic solution" to North Korea.

"There is no other solution," Merkel said Tuesday.

Back in Washington, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said that the United Nations General Assembly is normally a forum to "foster peace and promote global cooperation" – and objected to Trump using it "as a stage to threaten war."

Trump's choice of words on North Korea is in keeping with the bellicose rhetoric he's already used to describe the tensions that have escalated throughout his eight months in office. Last month, Trump threatened to unleash “fire and fury like the world has never seen" if North Korea did not stop menacing the U.S. Yet his use of apocalyptic imagery failed to persuade Pyongyang not to conduct its sixth, and most powerful, nuclear test on September 3.

Some Republicans praised Trump's appearance. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said "the world is more dangerous than any time in my lifetime." Trump is "aggressively taking on these challenges at the United Nations to get better results," Perdue said.

There could be more policy changes on the horizon, as Trump faces a mid-October deadline on whether to re-certify the Iran deal he called an "embarrassment" to the U.S.

Trump hinted strongly in his speech he may still try to kill the agreement reached by his predecessor Barack Obama in 2015. "I don’t think you’ve heard the last of it, believe me," he said.

As another critic of the agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, looked on approvingly, Trump claimed the nuclear deal "provides cover" for Iran to engage in "eventual construction of a nuclear program." Trump also accused Iran of supporting terrorism and trying to destabilize neighboring countries – and even appeared to invoke the possibility of military action, saying Iran's rulers feared a rebellious population as much as "the vast military power of the United States."

As part of the agreement, Iran agreed to give up the means to make nuclear weapons as the U.S. and allies reduce economic sanctions.

Netanyahu, who views a nuclear-armed Iran as an existential threat to his country, praised Trump's hard line. "In over 30 years in my experience with the UN, I never heard a bolder or more courageous speech," he told reporters.

Other leaders at the U.N. took the opposite view, insisting that voiding the agreement could lead to a nuclear-armed Iran and possibly a nuclear arms race throughout the Middle East. In his own speech to U.N., French President Emmanuel Macron said walking away would be a "grave error."

France is another signatory to the Iran agreement, along with Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Russia, and China. These countries continue to support the deal, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was intended to keep Iran's nuclear program peaceful.

And Iran's President Hassan Rouhani told NBC that "no one will trust America again" if the U.S. backs out of the accord – and Tehran may expand its nuclear capabilities.

In a tweet, Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that Trump's "ignorant" speech "belongs in medieval times – not the 21st century U.N."