President Trump spent the better part of an hour on Tuesday scolding the United Nations General Assembly, saying the U.N. was useless and that other countries were “going to hell.”
But in a post-speech meeting with António Guterres, the U.N. secretary general, Mr. Trump struck a radically different, even conciliatory, tone.
“Our country is behind the United Nations 100 percent,” Mr. Trump said. “And I think the potential of the United Nations is incredible, really incredible.”
One could be forgiven for feeling a sense of whiplash.
In the decade since Mr. Trump burst onto the political scene, world leaders have learned to get used to two versions of the American president. There is the public, bellicose Mr. Trump who shows up in speeches, the Oval Office or on his social media accounts; and the private, in-person Mr. Trump, who is often conflict-averse and eager to accommodate in one-on-one or smaller interactions.
During Mr. Trump’s first term, world leaders might have taken umbrage at the dressing-down they received on Tuesday, when Mr. Trump told them all the ways he thought they were failing.
“You’re destroying your countries,” Mr. Trump said. “Your countries are going to hell.”
In 2018, diplomats from around the world laughed at Mr. Trump’s boastful performance at the United Nations. The response from the chamber this time was not outrage or even laughter, but polite applause and praise.
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The post How Trump Strikes Radically Different Tones in Public and Private appeared first on New York Times.
