Trump Lashes North Korea, Slams Iran Nuclear Deal in U.N. Speech

President Donald Trump used his debut address at the United Nations General Assembly to threaten that the United States would have “no choice but to totally destroy” North Korea if forced to defend itself or its allies and to criticize the Iran nuclear deal as an “embarrassment” to the U.S.

“I suspect the speech played well with the president’s core supporters because of its fidelity to the America First theme and its generally tough tone,” former Acting Director of the CIA John McLaughlin told The Cipher Brief. “But he has to be careful with a broad global audience to strike a more balanced pose if he cares at all about his international standing.”