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U.N. readies for Trump's General Assembly speech

By Ed Adamczyk
President Donald Trump sits with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) at an economic summit during the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday in New York. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
President Donald Trump sits with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) at an economic summit during the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday in New York. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 19 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly, an organization he has long scorned, on Tuesday morning in New York City.

The annual General Assembly meetings include speeches by leaders of all 193 U.N. countries. Trump, representing the United States, is second on the list. He will speak at approximately 10:30 a.m. EDT, following the Brazilian representative.

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In a post to Twitter on Tuesday morning, Trump wrote, "Big day at the United Nations - many good things, and some tricky ones, happening. We have a great team."

Speeches are limited to 15 minutes, although some leaders have famously gone longer.

In his address, written by White House policy adviser Stephen Miller, Trump is expected to call for more to counter threats from North Korea and Iran. Both countries will be represented at the General Assembly meeting.

Tuesday's is Trump's first address to the assembly, after a presidential campaign in which he frequently called for U.S. withdrawal of funding to the United Nations.

In short remarks Monday, Trump's first day at the U.N. General Assembly, Trump was diplomatic -- offering a subdued and sociable counterpoint to his usual criticisms of global institutions and international agreements.

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The president praised U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is also presiding over his first assembly meeting, and congratulated himself for building his high-rise Trump Tower near the U.N. headquarters in Manhattan. He also predicted that the upcoming week of negotiations and addresses will lead to a stronger United Nations.

"In recent years, the United Nations has not reached its full potential due to bureaucracy and mismanagement," he added. "We pledge to be partners in your work."

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