World leaders bust out laughing as Trump brags of his 'accomplishments'

Trump didn’t even make it two minutes into his address at the United Nations on Tuesday before assembled diplomats broke into laughter while listening to his speech.

“Today, I stand before the United Nation’s General Assembly to share the extraordinary progress we’ve made,” Trump said. “In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country,” Trump announced, as murmurs quickly spread throughout the hall. “So true.”

That’s when the audience burst into laughter.

“I wasn’t expecting that reaction, but that’s OK,” Trump said.

Trump then proceeded to read off a laundry list of supposed domestic accomplishments, such as U.S. job gains, while addressing world leaders. The American president’s annual address to the U.N. traditionally isn’t used as a campaign appearance to tout his alleged at-home wins.

But it turns out diplomats were right to scoff at Trump’s boast.

At the close of 2017, Trump had signed the fewest number of new laws in recent history. This year, the White House and its allies have tried to promote a dubious list of Trump “accomplishments.” One such accomplishment was to point to Trump’s “rising approval rating,” which has since fallen steadily in recent weeks.

What Trump has accomplished is consistently ranking among the least popular presidents in American history.

That disdain has certainly been adopted around the world.

Once considered the most respected nation in the world and touted as the best country “brand,” the U.S. last year under Trump tumbled all the way from No. 1 to No. 6 in the last year, according to the market research firm Gfk, which conducts the annual global survey. Germany now boasts the title as the world’s most respected nation.

Consistently embarrassing himself on the world stage has become something of a hallmark of the Trump presidency. Whether it’s awkwardly saluting a North Korean officer, being booed by foreign journalists while traveling overseas, or siding with Russia over his own U.S. intelligence community, Trump finds a way to embarrass America.

As for Tuesday’s incident at the U.N., Trump may have tried to laugh it off, but in previous years he was adamant that the president of the United States must never to be the subject of international scorn:

We need a President who isn't a laughing stock to the entire World. We need a truly great leader, a genius at strategy and winning. Respect!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 9, 2014

Noted.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.