By Emily Drooby
The eyes of the world’s leaders were on the President Trump as he arrived at the United Nations for his highly-anticipated speech.
The commander-in-chief spoke of tensions with Iran and the trade war with China.
Trump devoted a major portion of his remarks to the tensions with Iran, calling the Islamic Republic one of the “greatest security threats facing peace-loving nations.” He called on other countries to join the U.S. in isolating the regime through economic sanctions, saying, “No responsible government should subsidies Iran’s bloodlust.”
He also defended the U.S. tariffs he has imposed on China, sparking a trade war.
Following up on his historic meeting on September 23 as the first sitting president ever to host a session at the U.N. on religious freedom, Trump touched on issues that are also critical to Catholics.
“This fundamental right is under growing threat around the world. Hard to believe, but 80 percent of the world’s population lives in countries where religious liberties are in significant danger or even completely outlawed. Americans will never fire or tire in our efforts to promote freedom of worship and religion,” Trump said.
The sanctity of life — born and unborn — was a dominant theme for the president as he criticized the UN for promoting abortion.
“We are aware that many UN projects have attempted to assert a global right to tax payer funded abortion on demand, right up until the moment of delivery. Like many nations here today, we in America believe every child, born and unborn is a sacred gift from God,” he added.
Trump also took on one of the top issues of his presidency: illegal immigration.
He vowed again to secure the U.S. southern border, and warned migrants against becoming the prey of human traffickers.
“Do not pay the coyotes. Do not put yourself in danger. Do not put your children in danger, because if you make it here you will not be allowed in,” he warned.
The president added that those calling for open borders are engaged in cruel policies.
Trump also said all people have the right to live in dignity, no matter their sexual orientation, and that the empowerment of women is crucial to prosperity and national security.