In speech at the U.N., Trump says U.S. will act to counter ‘global control’

NEW YORK- President Donald Trump declared Tuesday that his administration will reject attempts from other nations to impose constraints on the United States, vowing to take action in world affairs based on his judgment about how it would benefit Americans.

In a speech before world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly, Trump issued a sharp warning to the leaders Iran, Syria, Venezuela and China over what he described as their rogue behavior. But the president also made clear that the United States under his leadership would not be bound in its affairs by the consensus among traditional allies and partners.

"The U.S. will always choose independence and cooperation over global governance, control and domination," Trump said. "I honor the right of every nation in this room to pursue own customs, beliefs and traditions. The United States will not tell you how to live or work or worship. We only ask that you honor our sovereign rights in return."

The president's remarks were aimed, aides said, at elevating the theme of "American sovereignty," and Trump wasted little time in declaring that he has made progress on an agenda he has called "America first." That view did not necessarily have much support from the leaders from the U.N.'s 192 other countries, however.

In the first moments of the speech, Trump declared he had made more progress than "almost any other administration in the history of our country" - prompting audible laughs in the cavernous U.N. chamber. A startled-looking Trump appeared thrown off-balance for a moment.

"I didn't expect that reaction, but that's okay," he said. But the president appeared somewhat deflated after that, even as he faithfully recited lines from the teleprompters.

Trump sought to convince his audience that he has achieved qualified success in his biggest foreign policy gambit - his efforts to convince North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program. A year ago, Trump used his first U.N. speech to harangue North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, warning he was on a "suicide march" if he failed to comply.

After a historic summit with Kim in Singapore in June, however, Trump publicly thanked Kim for his "courage and the steps he has taken." Trump, who said this week he will have a second summit with Kim "quite soon," emphasized that Pyongyang has not tested a ballistic missile since the engagement process began early this year.

But on two others countries that Trump lambasted last year - Iran and Venezuela - the president offered fresh warnings. Though Trump tweeted in the morning that he believed he would meet in the future with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and said he is "sure he is an absolutely lovely man," the president eviscerated Tehran.

Referring to the bloody civil war in Syria, Trump blamed the "corrupt dictatorship in Iran" for fueling the conflict through money and support for the Bashar al-Assad regime.

"They sow chaos, death and destruction," Trump said. "The United States is conducting a campaign of economic pressure to deny the regime the funds needed to advance their bloody agenda."

After his administration pulled the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration and several other countries, Trump added: "Additional sanctions will resume Nov. 5 and more will follow."

On Venezuela, Trump denounced the socialist government of President Nicolás Maduro, whose oppressive leadership has resulted in a collapse of the nation's economy and a massive human rights crisis as hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have fled the country.

Trump announced new U.S. sanctions on Maduro and his inner circle.

"Virtually everywhere socialism and communism has been tried, it has led to corruption and decay," Trump said. He called on the world to "resist socialism and the misery it brings to everyone."

Time and again, Trump returned to the theme of sovereignty. He highlighted decisions of his administration to not support the U.N. Global Compact on migration.

“We will not be governed by an international body that is unaccountable to our own citizens,” Trump declared. He added that the only long-term solution to the migration crisis is to “help people build brighter futures in their own countries - make their countries great again.”