Xi to skip New York for Washington state dinner
President Trump is set to address world leaders Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, a high-profile diplomatic appearance that comes amid a stretch of legal and political setbacks at home and with his approval ratings below 40%.
The president is facing low public approval in part because of growing concerns about the economic fallout from the Iran war. He is also drawing blowback after his administration banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House; the news organizations have sued to regain access.
Less than two months before the midterm elections, Trump is looking for wins as he opens a week of diplomacy at the United Nations before hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington. In his address, Trump is expected to cast himself as a peacemaker, highlighting peace deals he has announced around the world while defending his Iran policy.
“The president will highlight how he has, and his administration, have confronted complex problems head-on around the world,” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz told reporters, adding that Trump “will touch on the importance of ensuring that Iran never has a nuclear weapon.”
Trump has a track record of using the General Assembly to make news. In 2017, he threatened to “totally destroy North Korea.” The following year, he boasted that his administration had “accomplished more than any other in American history” — a comment that drew laughter from some leaders in the room. Last year, Trump blasted the body and told leaders “your countries are going to hell,” asking, “What is the purpose of the United Nations? It has such tremendous, tremendous potential. But it’s not even coming close to living up to that potential.”
Trump may also use the speech to tout a recently announced security deal with Denmark over Greenland. He is also expected to defend his decision to strike Iran — and he will do so in front of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is expected to speak after him on Wednesday.
Much of the week’s diplomacy is expected to unfold on the sidelines of the General Assembly. Trump is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Gulf leaders, and Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
“The meat of the diplomacy will be done in the private meetings, not at the U.N. Security Council or in the U.N. General Assembly,” said Richard Fontaine, who served in the George W. Bush White House and now leads the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based think tank focused on national security issues.
The U.N. Security Council has struggled to reach agreement on key issues. Another item high on the agenda is artificial intelligence: a U.N. panel recently called for stronger safeguards on AI agents, and leaders are expected to seek some form of global agreement on guardrails for the technology.
The diplomatic dynamic is shaped in significant part by China’s absence. Xi Jinping is not traveling to New York; he will instead travel to Washington, D.C., for a state dinner with Trump.
“So this is the challenge,” said Heather Conley, who worked on European issues in the Bush State Department. “In many ways we have global leaders coming to New York to offer their own set piece speeches, how they look at the world. But the world will not be looking towards New York on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. They’re going to be looking at Washington.”