Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton appeared on Fox News this week and praised President Donald Trump’s speech before the U.N. General Assembly.
“This was the best speech of the Trump presidency in my view. I think he was as clear and direct as it’s possible to be. You listed a number of the key points that he made. I think the centerpiece of the speech was the criticism of the behavior of North Korea and Iran. And I think it’s safe to say in the entire history of the United Nations, there has never been a more straightforward criticism of the behavior, the unacceptable behavior of other member states. …”
He specifically liked what Trump said in regards to a denuclearized North Korea and saying if the United States “is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.” But it wasn’t these comments that caught Bolton by surprise, moreover, it was his castigation of the ideology of socialism:
“There’s a long list of other things in here. I have to say my favorite came at the end, and it may have been the most shocking thing he said in the context of the United Nations. Talking about Venezuela, he said, this is not a case of socialism being poorly implemented, it’s a case of socialism being implemented exactly the way the theory tells us. And I tell you, there are a lot of people in the U.N. who have never heard anything like that from an American president.”
Trump on North Korea (transcript via Vox):
No one has shown more contempt for other nations and for the well-being of their own people than the depraved regime in North Korea. It is responsible for the starvation deaths of millions of North Koreans. And for the imprisonment, torture, killing, and oppression of countless more. We were all witness to the regime’s deadly abuse when an innocent American college student, Otto Warmbier, was returned to America, only to die a few days later.
We saw it in the assassination of the dictator’s brother, using banned nerve agents in an international airport. We know it kidnapped a sweet 13-year-old Japanese girl from a beach in her own country, to enslave her as a language tutor for North Korea’s spies. If this is not twisted enough, now North Korea’s reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of human life. It is an outrage that some nations would not only trade with such a regime, but would arm, supply, and financially support a country that imperils the world with nuclear conflict.
No nation on Earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles. The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing, and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary. That’s what the United Nations is all about. That’s what the United Nations is for. Let’s see how they do.
It is time for North Korea to realize that the denuclearization is its only acceptable future. The United Nations Security Council recently held two unanimous 15-0 votes adopting hard-hitting resolutions against North Korea, and I want to thank China and Russia for joining the vote to impose sanctions, along with all of the other members of the Security Council. Thank you to all involved. But we must do much more.
Trump on socialism:
We are fortunate to have incredibly strong and healthy trade relationships with many of the Latin American countries gathered here today. Our economic bond forms a critical foundation for advancing peace and prosperity for all of our people and all of our neighbors. I ask every country represented here today to be prepared to do more to address this very real crisis. We call for the full restoration of democracy and political freedoms in Venezuela. The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented.
From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure. Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems. America stands with every person living under a brutal regime. Our respect for sovereignty is also a call for action. All people deserve a government that cares for their safety, their interests, and their well-being, including their prosperity.
Read the speech in its entirety here.