The UN’s magical thinking about Trump’s return

Some officials say the president-elect speaks differently about the institution behind closed doors.

Stéphanie Fillion

Jan 15, 2025 – 5.00am

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In 2019, when the 15 ambassadors on the United Nations Security Council travelled to Washington for lunch with then US president Donald Trump, they thought they’d meet the unpredictable, unfiltered, and vocal critic of multilateralism they’d seen on TV. Instead, the ambassadors encountered a different version of the billionaire-turned-politician.

Trump and his then UN ambassador, Kelly Craft, began with a statement on the need to reform NATO and be tougher on Iran. But once the meeting moved to a private setting, the tone shifted. Trump allowed each ambassador to speak, and he listened attentively. Several diplomats who spoke to Foreign Policy said Trump was calm, engaged, and appeared genuinely interested in what they had to say.

Foreign Policy