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Trump UN speech - President laughed at by world leaders as he boasts of achievements amid condemnation of Iran

First appearance before intergovernmental organisation after Washington cut refugee aid funding

Mythili Sampathkumar
New York
,Harriet Agerholm
Tuesday 25 September 2018 21:24 BST
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UN General Assembly laughs as Donald Trump touts his achievements

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Donald Trump has asserted American sovereignty - rejecting “global governance, control and domination” - in an address to the UN General Assembly.

Mr Trump said the United States will never tell other nations how to live, work or worship. But the president added the United States expects other nations to “honour America's sovereignty in return.”

The president arrived late, forcing a last-minute scheduling switch, then received polite applause but also blank stares as he took his blustery brand of “America First” policies to the annual General Assembly.

Donald Trump says US wants UN to ‘respect its sovereignty’

Speaking in triumphal terms, Mr Trump approached the address as an annual report to the world on his country's progress since his inauguration. He crowed that in “less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country.”

Rather than applaud or indicate they were impressed, the audience began to chuckle and some broke into outright laughter. Mr Trump appeared briefly flustered before joking that it was not the reaction he expected but “that's all right.”

The moment only reinforced Mr Trump's isolation among allies and foes alike, as his nationalistic policies have created rifts with erstwhile partners and cast doubt in some circles about the reliability of American commitments around the world.

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And with that we are closing our coverage for now. Thanks for reading.

Steve Anderson25 September 2018 21:13

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