Trump tells United Nations General Assembly that North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un “is on a suicide mission” and stressed the world is in a time of peril
Sept. 19, 2017
UNITED NATIONS — President Donald Trump, in his first address to the United Nations, derided Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader, as a “rocket man” on Tuesday as the president warned that he may be forced to “totally destroy” the rogue nation.
“If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph,” Trump said, as he detailed the horrors of what he called the “depraved” North Korean regime.
“Rocket man is on a suicide mission,” he said, using a nickname for Kim that refers to the North Korean leader’s recent missile tests.
“The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.”
The North Korean ambassador to the U.N. walked out before Trump’s speech started.
Trump’s remarks to the world body come amid sharply escalating tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. Both the president and Defense Secretary James Mattis have said all options are on the table for dealing with the threat from North Korea.
While the U.S. could take military action, Trump urged the U.N. to join together in curtailing North Korea’s nuclear efforts.
“We meet at a time of both immense promise and great peril,” Trump said, issuing a call to action that hinged on the responsibility of governments to their citizens.
“As president of the United States, I will always put America first,” he said in a phrase reminiscent of one of his key presidential campaign slogans.
And Trump urged other leaders to do likewise and always “put your countries first.”
The president also took on Iran, dismissing the nuclear deal between Tehran and the U.S. and other world powers that lifted sanctions in exchange for Iran curbing its nuclear program. Trump ripped the deal as an “embarrassment” and vowed that this would not be the last the world hears about it — “believe me.”
Published at www.nbcnews.com
