In his speech to world leaders, Trump blasted international institutions as “not truly useful” and accused nations of “destroying their own countries.” Yet, only hours later in a private meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, he spoke warmly of the institution: “The United States supports the United Nations 100%. Its potential is enormous—truly enormous.”
Such duality has become familiar after a decade of Trump in politics. He often projects toughness through speeches and social media, but adopts a softer, sometimes accommodating stance in private meetings. Foreign leaders, once offended by his blunt rebukes, now tend to flatter rather than confront him, knowing he responds positively to praise and reacts strongly to perceived slights.
Diplomats avoided rebutting Trump’s claims that the UN is outdated, instead choosing to emphasize his role in pursuing ceasefires and peace deals. Guterres praised him directly: “You have made peace a central objective of your presidency.” Trump, despite cutting billions from the UN budget and withdrawing from several agencies, welcomed the compliment.
European leaders followed a similar playbook. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen brushed aside Trump’s criticism of Europe’s energy dependence on Russia, simply replying: “You’re absolutely right—we are addressing it.” French President Emmanuel Macron, while defending the UN in his public speech, avoided friction in private talks with Trump, instead highlighting U.S.-French cooperation on global conflicts.
By day’s end, European officials claimed a diplomatic victory: Trump shifted his stance on the Ukraine war, signaling belief that Kyiv—backed by NATO—could reclaim all its territory, a stark reversal from his earlier push for territorial concessions to Russia.
The contrast was perhaps most striking in Trump’s dealings with Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. On stage, Trump accused Brazil of censorship and political repression. Offstage, however, the two leaders appeared friendly. “He’s a very nice man,” Trump said afterward. “We had at least 39 seconds of perfect harmony. That’s a good sign.”