What happened: President Trump addressed the United Nations annual summit this morning. The meetings are scheduled to go until Monday, but the first few days are by far the most important.
Why it matters: The official theme of this year’s summit is “Restoring trust, managing transformation.” The UN’s approach has many doubtful about whether it can reach that goal. Let’s take a closer look at why that is, and how their concerns compare with the more pressing conflicts around the world.
The backstory: What did President Trump tell the UN?
President Trump spoke earlier this morning at the annual UN summit in New York. The meetings will run through next Monday, though this morning’s speech was the only time he is expected to appear before the gathering of world leaders. I’ve included a brief overview of the president’s main points, and will follow that up in the next section by taking a look at how they compare with the UN’s stated priorities and what’s going on in the world:
- The president’s address began by outlining the accomplishments of his administration in immigration, the economy, and the military before pivoting to the peace agreements he’s helped negotiate. It didn’t take long, though, for his talk to turn to Iran, which he called “the bully of the Middle East” before noting that “they are the bully no more.”
- President Trump went on to reiterate his promise that Iran can never be permitted to have nuclear weapons, making a point to emphasize that the outcome of the midterm elections will have no effect on his resolve.
- From there, he went on to say that he expects peace to come sooner than most people think in the war between Russia and Ukraine, while also touting the progress made in Gaza. However, his depiction of events closer to home was a bit less positive.
- President Trump praised the changes in Venezuela but quickly moved on to describe the cartels as “The ISIS of the western hemisphere.” He called on Mexico to continue its efforts to reclaim control of its lands before promising (or threatening) to help if the situation is not resolved.
- He was clear that the current leadership in Cuba needed to change as well, noting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was deep in negotiations with the island nation’s leaders. That the Cuban delegation got up and walked out once he broached the subject is, perhaps, a sign that the situation is not quite as close to a resolution as he implied.
- The President was particularly harsh on the International Criminal Court, calling it “an evil group of people” and a “rogue organization” for the way they ignore issues like the persecution of Christians in order to focus on topics like immigration and transgender rights.
President Trump then ended his speech by calling on the UN and its members to embrace freedom and the potential for growth generated by fields like artificial intelligence—which he will now refer to as “super intelligence”—rather than giving in to fear and misplaced priorities. As he told the gathered delegation,
If we go forward strong and united against the enemies of all humanity, if we reject the voices that would have us give in to fear and doubt, if we refuse to shrink from our duties to our people, then together, through bold action, we will make this world far safer and a far better place. . .Together, we will build a future for our people that is brighter, more hopeful, and more magnificent than ever before.”
Time will tell if the UN’s leadership agrees with the president’s assessment, but it seems like the organization is at a crossroads. A new Secretary-General will be appointed later this year, and whoever takes the mantle will not have an easy job. However, picking a path will be important, and the current one does not seem to offer much hope.
“Restoring trust”
The theme of this year’s gathering is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.” Generally speaking, anytime “restoring trust” is one of your primary goals, it’s a clear sign that things aren’t going well. And that appears to be the case for the UN.
As President Trump alluded to in his speech this morning, in recent decades, the UN has often spent more time, attention, and resources addressing potential problems than on the global conflicts that pose a more imminent threat. We’ve discussed the war in Iran at length in recent months, and not much has changed, so I won’t be revisiting that particular conflict today. Instead, let’s take a closer look at some other pressing issues before circling back to how the UN’s approach thus far only erodes the trust it’s trying to rebuild.
Russia’s war with Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn’t attended the UN’s annual summit since 2015, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will continue his streak of speaking to the assembly every year since the invasion began. He will deliver his speech tomorrow and is also expected to meet with President Trump this week.
The Ukrainian leader said the meeting “could change a lot,” before claiming that there is “diplomatic momentum” toward some measure of peace with Russia.
Still, many fear that last weekend’s elections in Russia will be portrayed to the masses as a mandate to continue the fighting. Putin ensured that only pro-war candidates could have much of a chance on the ballot—most others were either denied entry or arrested—meaning that his government remains firmly entrenched behind him.
And while the State Department approved the sale of up to $2.68 billion in air defense equipment for Ukraine on Friday, it seems unlikely to arrive in time to deter Russia from further escalating the fighting in the immediate future.
A sanctions bill that passed Congress last week and was signed by the president could increase the pressure soon as well, but again, that could simply provide further motivation for Russia to see how much damage they can do over the coming weeks.
Ultimately, peace may be a more realistic possibility than it has been for some time, but the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better.
The cold war with China
Despite providing the second-most funding of any nation to the UN—the US is, predictably, first—Chinese President Xi Jinping is not expected to make an appearance at this year’s summit. He will, however, join President Trump at the White House on Wednesday.
The two are expected to discuss artificial intelligence, tariffs, rare earth materials, and other subjects. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will also meet with China’s Vice Premier, He Lifeng, for more in-depth economic negotiations.
In recent days, President Trump has spoken highly of Xi, referring to him as a “great leader” and a “strong man.” Their meeting is likely to overshadow the proceedings in New York in what Richard Gowan, the director for global issues and institutions at the International Crisis Group, described as “a split-screen moment.” As he notes, the concurrent meetings “send a bit of a message about where power really lies.”
And I doubt either president would dispute that assessment.
A new deal with Greenland
On Friday, President Trump announced that the United States had reached an agreement with Greenland and Denmark that gives America “permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns.” The deal was signed earlier today and grants the US considerable autonomy in building and maintaining military bases, conducting defense activities in the area, and guarding against outside influence in the region.
That last part is particularly important, as Russian and Chinese advances into the area have been among the president’s primary stated concerns since he first broached the subject in the last election cycle. Now, the island and its surrounding waters are essentially closed to any non-NATO members unless given permission by the US, Greenland, and Denmark. Moreover, it will be that way for a while, given that the agreement “does not have an end date and may only be amended by mutual consent.”
While the deal still needs to gain approval from Greenland’s and Denmark’s respective parliaments, that is considered more of a formality at this point. And it doesn’t sound like it will take long before construction begins, with President Trump saying that they plan to build two new bases on the island in the near future.
In his social media posts, he implied that these bases would come “at zero cost to the U.S. taxpayer,” though the “zero cost” part appears to be limited to the land. There was nothing in the agreement itself stipulating that anyone other than America would pay for the construction and maintenance of the installations. Still, the deal has largely been praised as a positive step forward and as a chance to move on from what had been a simmering conflict over Greenland.
“Three existential threats”
The conflicts and developments outlined above are high on the list of concerns for many nations around the world. However, that does not appear to be the case for the UN’s current leadership.
In the lead-up to this year’s summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres identified “three existential threats” that the organization must confront: artificial intelligence, the climate crisis, and deepening inequalities. The wars in Ukraine and Iran didn’t make his list. Neither did the economic cold war between the US and China, nor the oil shortages caused by attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.
While all three of the threats he named have some measure of importance, prioritizing them over these other concerns is not an opinion most of the world would share. And it’s hard to rebuild trust when it doesn’t seem like you’ve learned from your mistakes. That’s true of global leaders, and it’s true for each of us as well.
Spiritual application: The way of the wise
In Proverbs 12, Solomon begins by stating bluntly, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1). Shortly thereafter, he writes, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice” (Proverbs 12:15).
The Bible has a great deal to say on the importance of truth, pursuing wisdom, and accepting correction, but sometimes it helps to have it laid out as plainly as Solomon does in these verses. The problem is that most of us aren’t all that good at recognizing when we’ve chosen the way of the fool over the way of the wise.
If you’ve taken the time to think, analyze, and even pray over the best approach to a decision or topic, it can be much more difficult to accept when you still reach the wrong conclusion. However, none of us are perfect, and accepting that it’s always possible for us to make mistakes is the first step toward learning from them. And learning from our mistakes is essential to earning the trust of those who have been hurt by them.
It can be easy to make the mistake of thinking forgiving someone means acting like the mistake never happened. However, choosing not to hold a grudge is not the same as trusting that the person who hurt you is not going to do so again. And the same is true when we are the ones who have made that mistake.
Even genuine forgiveness does not mean that trust is rebuilt. And acting as though it does is a sign that you do not fully understand the mistakes made in the first place.
So, with whom do you need to rebuild some trust? Are there mistakes you’d prefer to move on from rather than learn from?
As Christians, few traits are more essential to our ability to share the good news of Jesus than being someone others can trust. Let’s make sure our lives reflect that truth today.
News worth knowing
Note: Several of the stories that would normally be covered in this section are addressed in the main Focus. As such, I’ve included a couple of shorter stories here to save room to address larger issues like the deal with Greenland, an update on Ukraine, and President Trump’s upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in that space.
- Three-quarters of Americans are neither conservative nor liberal
A recent study from Searchlight found that only 14 percent of Americans are ideologically conservative, while a mere 10 percent are ideologically liberal. Those statistics are based on answers to questions rather than self-identification, which demonstrates that the vast majority of adults in this country are relatively heterodox in their thinking.
Why it matters
One of the most damaging aspects of a purely partisan approach to life is that it tends to lend credence to the idea that if you don’t agree with one side’s solutions, that must mean you support the other side’s. But people are more complicated than that. And while we generally understand that’s true for us, we tend to be less willing to extend the same complexity to others.
What to watch
As the study’s authors note, “This fact is hard for many people working in politics to properly grasp, especially because these are exactly the sort of people who are the most ideologically homogeneous, but it is the skeleton key that will free us from this era of hyper-polarization and narrow governing authorities.” Will that prediction prove true over the coming years?
Searchlight has more on the story
- Toys R Us is coming back for the holidays
Toys R Us recently announced it will open 120 new standalone stores in time for the holiday shopping season. They’ve been slowly working to re-establish a physical presence after their 2017 bankruptcy, which led to the closure of all their US stores the following year, but this is the biggest leap yet.
Why it matters
Some of my earliest memories as a child are of wandering the Ninja Turtles aisle at my local Toys R Us with money from chores burning a hole in my pocket. Now, a generation of kids who have never known that joy may soon be able to relate.
What to watch
Will the rollout prove sustainable? Or is Toys R Us simply repeating the mistakes of the past (more on this theme in today’s main Focus)? I hope it’s the former, but only time will tell.
Fox Business has more on the story
God is good
Airlines have gotten quite good at reuniting customers with their lost baggage, with less than one percent going unclaimed. Still, with 2.7 million people flying each day, the spare suitcases add up quickly. That’s where Unclaimed Baggage steps in. The second-generation store buys the lost luggage from planes, trains, and buses, then either resells or donates the findings. Over the years, they’ve unearthed a 10-karat gold-and-diamond dental grill, an Egyptian burial mask from 1500 BC, and even a solid 40-karat emerald. However, most of what they find is of the more mundane variety, and that’s where most of their ministry comes from.
Kingdom impact
In addition to having what’s become a destination storehouse and museum in Scottsboro, Alabama, the company’s charitable arm—Reclaimed for Good—has sent upwards of 2.5 million eyeglasses to Lion’s Clubs International, broken wheelchairs to Joni and Friends, and even the socks find a better home through a nonprofit called The Odd Sock that provides clothes to homeless shelters and rehab centers. Overall, they estimate that roughly a third of what they find is sold, a third is donated, and the remaining third is recycled.
Prayer point
As Sharon Owens, one of the store’s owners, described, giving the unclaimed baggage a second life is “really an allegory of what Jesus has done for us.” Will you pray that God continues to use their ministry to bless those in need and provide opportunities to share the gospel with those who come by their store?
Christianity Today has more on the story
