Trump lays out his agenda as middle powers call for more cooperation at UNGA

+ World Trump lays out his agenda as middle powers call for more cooperation at UNGA September 23, 20264:41 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition Michele Kelemen Trump lays out his agenda as middle powers call for more cooperation at UNGA Listen &middot; 3:39 3:39 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5976960/nx-s1-9936914" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Middle powers plead for more cooperation at the United Nations, as President Trump lays out his America First agenda and defends the U.S.

+ Sponsor Message Transcript STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Here are some of the messages President Trump brought to the United Nations General Assembly this week - there is no global government. Climate change is a hoax, as are concerns about AI, which should have a different name. And the spoils belong to the victors of wars.

+ Much of the rest of the world is talking about the need for cooperation to tackle global challenges like those. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports from the U.N. MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE: President Trump used his speech to call on countries to leave the International Criminal Court and stop what he calls globalist bureaucrats. He also wants to rename artificial intelligence to super intelligence, downplaying the many calls for a slowdown and more regulations. It was a starkly different worldview than many others here at the U.N.'s high-level week. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term ends this year, says this is a time for more cooperation. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) ANTONIO GUTERRES: The world does not need a weaker United Nations. It needs a U.N. strong enough to face the world as it is and determined enough to build the world as it should be. KELEMEN: He says there's been an extraordinary transfer of power away from governments to a handful of private corporations and individuals. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) GUTERRES: Humans are increasingly handing power to machines, with artificial agents going rogue and little autonomous weapons going from science fiction to military reality. KELEMEN: The U.N. Security Council is holding a meeting on AI, and there's a lot of talk in the corridors at the U.N. about how to make this place relevant on this and other issues. KAJA KALLAS: Most of the countries in the world want a world that is based on some kind of rules. KELEMEN: That's the European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, who says she's spending a lot of time this week trying to push for de-escalation in the Persian Gulf and to put more pressure on Russia to end its aggression in Ukraine. Both those conflicts, she says, have global implications for food and energy security. So European countries and other middle powers are trying to find ways to restore international humanitarian law. KALLAS: The discussions with the middle powers, but also smaller countries - between smaller countries - is that how can we keep the world functioning that we have some kind of rules in place? And there the key question is accountability. KELEMEN: She's defending the International Criminal Court, which is under attack by the U.S. French President Emmanuel Macron spoke of a return to imperialism, arrogance and unrestrained force. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON: (Speaking French). KELEMEN: "Do we want to live under this state of affairs with a return to the law of the jungle," he asked the world body, "or do we want to live in a civilized international society?" Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva raised concerns about President Trump's approach in this hemisphere. Lula described the U.S. military operation in Venezuela as a, quote, "neocolonial incursion for strategic resources." And through an interpreter, he complained about meddling in Brazilian elections. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA: (Through interpreter) In Latin America and the Caribbean region, geographical proximity to the world's greatest military power is inescapable, especially in the context of renewed hegemonic temptations. Brazil does not fit in anyone's backyard. KELEMEN: He too is pushing for a revitalized U.N. to become a, quote, "temple of peace." Michele Kelemen, NPR News, the United Nations. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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