President Trump demands: 'Make the United Nations Great'

David Jackson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump: Giving Mideast peace 'an absolute go' Meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday in New York, President Donald Trump said Mideast peace has a 'good chance of succeeding. On the fate of the Iranian nuclear deal, Trump said, You'll see very soon. (Sept. 18)

NEW YORK CITY – "Make the United Nations Great."

That's how President Trump described his message to world leaders this week, as he made his first visit to the U.N. as commander-in-chief.

At a special forum on Monday, Trump called on members of the international body to pay more for joint projects – such as peacekeeping missions – and complained the U.S. pays an outsized share of the costs.

Asked immediately afterward about his message for the New York trip, Trump riffed off his 2016 presidential campaign slogan: "I think the main message is ‘Make the United Nations Great' – not 'Again'," he said.

Trump, a long-time critic of the U.N., said in a four-minute speech earlier Monday that the United Nations has not reached its full potential "because of bureaucracy and mismanagement."

As he did on the campaign trail, Trump stressed that other countries need to step up their financial and military contributions to the U.N. "We must ensure that no one and no member state shoulders a disproportionate share of the burden," Trump said.

The U.S. covers about 22% of the U.N. budget.

Trump's remarks at the forum – called "Reforming the United Nations: Management, Security, and Development" – kicked off four days of meetings and receptions at the U.N. He will speak Tuesday morning to the entire 193-member General Assembly.

Nikki Haley, Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, described the reform meeting as a sign that "it truly is a new day at the United Nations."

Trump, who ran for president on an "America First" platform, previously had harsh words in particular for the United Nations on the campaign trail. Trump has said "the United Nations is not a friend of democracy; it's not a friend to freedom." He's also described the U.N. as "a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time."

Some U.N. members, meanwhile, have expressed concern that Trump's foreign policy positions could undermine the global trading system, and undercut the organization's efforts promote peaceful resolutions of international disputes.

Trump's appearance at the U.N. will be highly scrutinized, especially given the disputes over trade, climate change, and NATO participation that ensued during previous international summits.

In preparing for his week-long series of U.N. meetings, Trump's major objective is to rally global support for pressuring North Korea into giving up nuclear weapons – or at least stop threatening to use them against the United States and its allies in Asia.

While Trump and his aides said they want to resolve the dispute diplomatically, they have also suggested there could be a military option. Over the weekend, Trump added to the tension by describing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as "Rocket Man."

Many White House officials are out and about in New York this week.

Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council, attended an "energy breakfast" with U.N. counterparts.

During the meeting, the White House said, Cohn repeated statements by other aides that the United States will maintain plans to withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement unless it can negotiate more favorable terms.

"This position was made very clear during the breakfast," the White House said in a statement.

Trump, who paused during the morning to tweet out a tribute to the U.S. Air Force on its 70th anniversary, also plans to address his concerns about Iran on Monday.



The president is considering whether to decertify the nuclear agreement that predecessor Barack Obama signed in 2015. While Iran agreed to give up the means to make nuclear weapons as the U.S. and allies reduce economic sanctions, Trump says Iran isn't living up to "the spirit" of the deal.

Trump's meetings include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has urged the United States to "fix" the nuclear agreement or scrap it.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said over the weekend that his country would respond to any "wrong move" by the United States.

Trump planned to cap his first day at the United Nations at a working dinner with Latin American leaders. Their topics include the economic and democratic instability in Venezuela, and the impact it has on the region.