Sign Up For Newsletters Woman receives gift of motherhood after cancer diagnosis Stacey Abrams on writing herself into the story – and history Maya Angelou and Sally Ride to be honored on quarters Dancers seek to rid ballet performances of Asian stereotypes China's censors cut some new friends from the "Friends" reunion Lawmakers call for ambassador to protect Afghan women Boat carrying 20 overturns heading from Cuba to Florida SolarWinds hackers have launched new campaign, Microsoft says "3-martini lunch" tax break should be axed, lawmakers say Flying over Memorial Day? Expect long lines at airports Some great white sharks are getting closer to humans, videos show Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On<doc-sep>President Donald Trump will give his second speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday at 10:15 am — and it could be one of his most important speeches yet. The president has consistently railed against the world body for years, in part because he says the US pays too much for its operations. But it seems Trump will use the UN’s platform on Tuesday to defend his own foreign policy, rather than bash the organization. In a Fox News interview on Sunday, National Security Adviser John Bolton said Trump’s speech will focus on “American sovereignty” and “how that fits into America’s place in the world as a whole.” In other words, Trump will expand upon his “America First” foreign policy and how he thinks it’s working as he approaches two years at the White House. But most people watching will be waiting to see if Trump is as bombastic as last year, when he threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea if it continued to threaten the US or its allies. His rhetoric will probably be less fiery because relations with Pyongyang have improved markedly since last year, especially since Trump’s Singapore summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12. Trump may, however, use his speech to bash Iran. Trump withdrew the US from the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal in May and has aimed to put economic and political pressure on Tehran since. He’ll even lead a session of the UN Security Council — the organization’s most prominent decision-making body — on Wednesday that will include Iran’s nuclear and regional ambitions. So while Trump may be more subdued at the UN this year, it will make his speech no less interesting to watch. How to watch Trump’s speech at the UN General Assembly When: Tuesday, September 25 Where: United Nations, New York City Start time: 10:15 am Eastern Watch: You can watch online on Vox’s Facebook or Twitter pages, C-SPAN, the UN’s live feed, the White House’s live feed, or likely on all major news networks.<doc-sep>US President Donald J. Trump delivers his first address to a joint session of Congress from the floor of the House of Representatives in Washington, DC, USA, 28 February 2017. / AFP / EPA POOL / JIM LO SCALZO (Photo credit should read JIM LO SCALZO/AFP/Getty Images) TOPSHOT - A vendor picks up a 100 yuan note above a newspaper featuring a photo of US president-elect Donald Trump, at a news stand in Beijing on November 10, 2016. The world's second-largest economy is US president-elect Donald Trump's designated bogeyman, threatening it on the campaign trail with tariffs for stealing American jobs, but analysts say US protectionism could create opportunities for Beijing. / AFP / GREG BAKER (Photo credit should read GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images) US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron hold a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 24, 2018. (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP) (Photo credit should read LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP/Getty Images) SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 08: Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on before speaking to members of the media during a visit to AppDirect on February 8, 2018 in San Francisco, California. Trudeau is visiting several cities in the U.S. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) US President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin attend a joint press conference after a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) President Donald Trump talks on the phone aboard Air Force One during a flight to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to address a joint gathering of House and Senate Republicans, Thursday, January 26, 2017. This was the Presidentâs first Trip aboard Air Force One. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead) (CNN) — President Donald Trump’s touting of how his administration has accomplished more than any – yes, any – past administration in its first two years is one of his most consistent applause lines in his campaign patter. “I don’t believe there has been any administration in the history of this country that has done more in two years – and we’re not even up to two years yet – than our administration,” Trump said last week during a campaign speech in Las Vegas – while reading a literal paper list of those accomplishments. “Nobody has done what this administration has done in terms of getting things passed and getting things through,” he told a group of sheriffs earlier this month. His supporters love the line: Despite all of the losers and haters, Trump is MAGA-ing! Which brings us to Tuesday morning – and Trump’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. “In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country,” Trump said, as he does. “So true,” said Trump, clearly caught by surprise by the laughter. “I didn’t expect that reaction, but that’s OK,” he added to more laughter and some applause. Here’s the moment: Before we go any further let me be clear: I wasn’t in the room. I was watching it live on TV from Washington. But, watching on television, the perception of those few seconds was clear: The gathered world leaders – or at least some of them – were laughing at Trump’s contention that he had done more in two years than any previous American administration ever. Which makes some sense given that the claim seems, on its face ridiculous. There was Abraham Lincoln’s management of the Civil War, Ulysses Grant’s stewardship of the country through Reconstruction, Woodrow Wilson’s work to repair the world community following World War I, Truman’s work to do the same post-World War II, Ronald Reagan’s steering of the country though the Cold War … I mean, the list goes on and on. And it dwarfs Trump’s accomplishments which, at least on the world stage, are at best incomplete at the moment. From his decision to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Accords to his trade fight with China, we simply don’t know what Trump’s policies will mean in the light of history. That Trump was taken aback by the laughter is telling, too. It’s possible that he believed they were laughing with him when, at least to my watching/listening, they were laughing at him – or at least at his grandiose claim. His response – “I didn’t expect that reaction, but that’s OK” – and the smile on his face when he said it suggests Trump simply was (is?) unaware of what the laughter almost certainly meant. As does his comment later in the day when asked about the laughter. “Oh it was great,” Trump said about the reaction from the assembled world leaders. “Well that was meant to get some laughter, but it was great.” He did it all on purpose! The truth of Trump’s life in office – and this is true for lots of presidents but even more true for him – is that he simply doesn’t come face-to-face with very many people who disagree with him about much of anything. Trump’s MO is to surround himself with blood relatives and people who accommodate his moods, proclivities and views. He lives in a bubble of his own making, and has done so long before he became President or even a candidate for president. He’s just not used to people who aren’t paid to tell him what he is saying is right. All the time. It’s also possible that he was just covering in the moment, that playing it all off was the insta-calculation Trump made in his head to defuse the situation as much as possible. If that’s the case, you can be sure that Trump will be stewing about the moment. Remember that Trump has repeatedly mentioned how bothered he was by other countries laughing at the United States before he was President. “The world is laughing at us,” he would say on the campaign trail, referring to the policies of then-President Barack Obama.<doc-sep>Mr. Rouhani, who has all but ruled out a meeting with Mr. Trump, offered a portrait of his country that is law-abiding, respectful and first in the fight against terrorism — diametrically opposite the description presented a few hours earlier by the American president. Mr. Rouhani denounced the Trump administration not only for repudiating the nuclear agreement, but also for threatening through the use of sanctions to punish any country that seeks to do business with Iran. “The economic war that the United States has initiated under the rubric of new sanctions not only targets the Iranian people, but entails harmful repercussions for people of other countries,” Mr. Rouhani said. He also made clear that he thought Mr. Trump’s offer to talk with Iran’s leaders was disingenuous at best. “It is ironic that the United States government does not even conceal its plan for overthrowing the same government it invites to talks,” Mr. Rouhani said. Trump aides warn Iran and Europe: We’re serious on sanctions In a clear sign of irritation, the Trump administration warned the United States’ chief European partners on Tuesday of unhappiness over their move to bypass its reimposed sanctions on Iran. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the national security adviser, John R. Bolton, told a conference in New York that the European plan to create a way for Iran to conduct international financial transactions was a big mistake. “We do not intend to allow our sanctions to be evaded by Europe or anybody else,” Mr. Bolton said at the conference, which was organized by United Against Nuclear Iran, a group that has criticized the 2015 nuclear deal reached under the Obama administration. Mr. Pompeo said on his Twitter account that the United States, which withdrew from the agreement in May, was “disturbed & deeply disappointed to hear the remaining parties in the deal announce they are setting up a special payment system to bypass U.S. sanctions. This is one of most counterproductive measures imaginable for regional & global peace & security. “<doc-sep>
USA TODAY President Donald Trump will hold a press conference at the United Nations in New York at 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, on the tail end of his bilateral meetings with U.N. members and his speech before the United Nations General Assembly. Earlier Wednesday, Trump wielded the gavel for a meeting of the U.N. Security Council in which he spent a bit of time chastising certain U.N. members for their attempts to influence the elections of the United States, including Russia and China, whom he accused of election meddling without any reference to evidence. Trump spoke about his hope for a continued Middle East peace process, but spent a portion of his speech asserting that Iran is continuing to sponsor terrorism, and Trump threatened future sanctions on the regime. In return, a number of the heads-of-state gathered around the table had harsh words and warnings for Trump in relation to the U.S. withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran, also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal. In addition, a few leaders prodded Trump on the U.S. withdrawing from the Paris Agreement as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The press conference also represents the rare opportunity for the press corps to directly question the president about a number of current news items, including the floundering nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States, the possible firing of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and his oversight of the Robert Mueller investigation, and whether or not Rosenstein's firing may constitute obstruction of justice. USA TODAY will provide live coverage of the press conference in the player at the top of this page.