By Kenneth Tiven
Angry, intemperate speeches have never been a hallmark of the US presidency—until Donald Trump. True to form, he turned American diplomacy upside down with a ferocious address at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, leaving allies rattled and critics emboldened.
TOUGH GUY MODE
At the UN podium, Trump thundered that European nations were failing, declaring: “Your countries are going to hell.” He dismissed climate change as a fraud, mocking wind power with the petulant complaint that turbines spoiled the seaside views from his golf courses.
NICE GUY MODE
Yet in one-on-one meetings, Trump was reportedly more conciliatory, invoking the duality of Janus, Rome’s two-faced god. His sudden shift to supporting Ukraine—now in its third year of resisting Russia—was not rooted in strategy, but commerce. European allies had agreed to purchase US-manufactured weapons, fitting neatly into Trump’s transactional worldview.
REALITY CHECK
In public, Trump echoed Joe Biden’s call for NATO’s courage and ingenuity to force Russia’s retreat. But former aides admit his foreign policy is often shaped less by strategic vision than by personal pique and the perception of being disrespected.
CLIMATE AND SCIENCE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK
Global consequences loom as Washington retreats from climate action. Trump’s disdain for scientific method extends beyond the environment, threatening advances in both medicine and technology. “Forget our participation,” he said, signalling a retreat from international climate efforts.
ECHOES OF WATERGATE
The administration’s tolerance for corruption evokes Richard Nixon’s darkest days. Trump’s deportation chief Tom Homan was allegedly caught in an FBI sting accepting a $50,000 bribe, but Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI director Kash Patel buried the case. The parallel to Nixon’s disgraced vice-president Spiro Agnew—forced to resign over cash bribes—was unmistakable.
THE CULTURE WAR FLARE-UP
Beyond geopolitics, Trump’s reach extended to America’s cultural stage. ABC briefly pulled late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after he mocked Trump ally Charlie Kirk. But a storm of public backlash, including boycotts of Disney’s parks and streaming service, forced the network to reinstate him. Still, two major ABC affiliates refused to air the show, citing loyalty to Trump.
—The writer has worked in senior positions at The Washington Post, NBC, ABC and CNN and also consults for several Indian channels