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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump Returns To The U.N. This Week Facing Growing Unease About U.S. Leadership
President Trump will return to the world's biggest stage this week to address heads of state at a time when U.S. global leadership is seen as waning. During last year's speech, many of those same leaders laughed when Trump boasted that his administration "has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country."
John Feeley, who served as U.S. ambassador to Panama until last year, called it a painful moment that reflected America's decline from the "undisputed top dog" on the world stage. "What it means is that the United States is not perceived as being led by somebody who they take completely seriously."
A 25-nation survey by the Pew Research Center last year found a median of just 27% of people outside the United States had confidence Trump would "do the right thing in world affairs." And a new survey of 50 former U.S. ambassadors and senior national security officials by the Global Situation Room public relations firm finds that top diplomats from Republican and Democratic administrations almost unanimously feel U.S. influence has declined under Trump.
Ninety-two percent of those surveyed said U.S. adversaries have grown stronger. Some diplomats have bristled at Trump's apparent affection for authoritarian leaders such as North Korea's Kim Jong Un and Russia's Vladimir Putin while treating traditional allies in Europe more like adversaries.
When he takes the stage at the United Nations General Assembly for the third time on Tuesday, Trump is expected to "affirm America's leadership role" said a senior administration official. America is great again!
https://www.npr.org/2019/09/23/762944204/trump-returns-to-the-u-n-this-week-facing-growing-unease-about-u-s-leadership