What is Trump likely to say at the U.N.?

This year marks the United Nations’ 80th birthday, but no one feels like celebrating. The annual U.N. General Assembly high-level week in New York is set against a backdrop of wars in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine. 

Taking center stage on Monday is an issue that separates the U.N.’s biggest donor from most of the world: Palestinian statehood, which will be discussed at a conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia. Australia, Canada, Portugal, and the United Kingdom moved to officially recognize Palestine as a state on Sunday. 

Though the move was largely symbolic, the coordinated nature of those countries’ announcements highlights how isolated the United States has become even from its allies.

U.S. President Donald Trump will speak tomorrow from a position of avowed skepticism about the United Nations and the power of multilateralism. The U.N. has endured decades of pendulum swings from Washington, but Suzanne Nossel writes that this time is different, since Trump is “drastically reshaping Washington’s stance toward the world in ways that won’t easily be undone.” 

One person who will be tuned into Trump’s remarks will be U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. The two men have not spoken since Trump took office in January; they are expected to have a bilateral meeting this week.

Others who will be listening carefully include representatives from Poland and the Baltic states. This month, roughly 19 Russian drones entered Polish territory, and over the weekend, three Russian fighter jets violated Estonian airspace. Trump said on Sunday that he “would” defend Poland and the Baltics if the Russian attacks keep escalating, but his terse answer to the question from an Italian journalist was a reminder that he does know how to choose his words—or simply opts to stay mum when he doesn’t see an advantage to speaking up. 

A more vociferous side of Trump was evident over the weekend as he urged his attorney general to pursue political opponents, and then at conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s memorial service, when he declared, “I hate my opponents.” After a summer of intense diplomacy, these are signs that the U.S. president may be turning his focus back to domestic matters.—Amelia Lester, deputy editor

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On Our Radar

Moldova decides. The phrase “influence operations” is inaccurate to describe what is happening in Moldova, writes Laura Thornton, who visited the country on a fact-finding mission ahead of parliamentary elections on Sunday, Sept. 28. Thornton spoke to experts who characterized Russian interference as a “multi-vector war” aimed at establishing a base on the edge of the European Union from which to conduct hybrid attacks.

Iran snapback. A U.N. Security Council resolution last week to prevent the reimposition of U.N. sanctions on Iran failed, getting votes from only four countries: Algeria, China, Pakistan, and Russia. At the end of the month, Iran faces the prospect of renewed punitive measures on its nuclear program. To avoid further conflict from the snapback, European countries must intensify high-level diplomacy with both Trump and Iran, Ellie Geranmayeh writes.

Data theater. U.S. second-quarter GDP figures are expected on Thursday and will be watched closely around the world. Reliable economic indicators underpin everything from forecasting global growth to setting NATO contributions, Sydney Saubestre and Prem M. Trivedi write, arguing that while there is an air of inevitability to the Trump administration’s takeover of trusted statistical agencies, the final act of its “data theater” is not yet written. 

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Exercise Your Mind

Saudi Arabia struck a defense pact with a nuclear-armed state on Wednesday, Sept. 17, in a seeming nod to Israel’s recent airstrike on Qatar. With which country did Riyadh sign the agreement?

(A) Russia

(B) Pakistan

(C) China

(D) North Korea

You can find the answer to this question at the end of this email. Test your knowledge with more quiz questions. 

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Answer: B. The deal commits the two powers to defend each other if one is attacked, FP’s John Haltiwanger and Rishi Iyengar write in Situation Report.