Trump previews UN message: Body ‘has not lived up to’ its potential

President Trump argued Saturday that the United Nations (U.N.) has “tremendous potential” but has “not lived up to that potential,” previewing his message ahead of the U.N. General Assembly next week.

Trump said in a video posted to Twitter that he looks forward to attending the gathering in New York, noting he would deliver a speech and the U.S. would participate in meetings, adding, “A lot of good things can happen.”

“It’s always been surprising to me that more things aren’t resolved because you have all these countries getting together in one location, but it doesn’t seem to get there,” he said. “I think it will.”

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— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2018 

Trump is slated to speak Monday at an event about world drug issues and address the General Assembly at the official opening on Tuesday.

{mosads}The president will then lead a Security Council meeting on Wednesday focusing on Iran and broader efforts to limit nuclear proliferation, according to U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley.

Between Tuesday and Thursday, Trump is also set to meet with leaders from South Korea, Egypt, France, Israel, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Trump and his administration have been critical of the U.N. in the past, saying the organization is overly dependent on the U.S. while not being respectful enough to the country.

The president delivered a fiery speech at the General Assembly in New York last year, using the forum to emphasize his “America first” positions on a number of international issues.

During the speech he called the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal an “embarrassment” and threatened North Korea with total destruction if the country continued their pursuit of nuclear capability.