100 days in and US President Donald Trump's relationship with the United Nations remains rocky.
He's started the promised reductions of US contributions to the organization and there could be more budget cuts to follow.
While the first three months of the Trump administration has seen the new US ambassador to the UN driving foreign policy.
Nick Harper looks back on the President's first three months in charge.
IN: "Meeting...."
OUT: SOC
DUR: 02:57
AIR: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-air.mp3
ARN: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-arn.mp3
GENERIC: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-gen.mp3
ICRT: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-icrt.mp3
VON: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-von.mp3
RNZ: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-rnz.mp3
VATICAN: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-vat.mp3
ZIZ: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-ziz.mp3
938: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-938.mp3
TAKE PKG
TAKE VO
Meeting the UN Security Council this week at the White House President Trump's tone was more conciliatory.
SOT - Donald Trump, US President: "The important work you do. You really are. You're talking about the most important things ever."
TAKE VO
That's a marked contrast to his bold pledges on the campaign trail.
SOT - Donald Trump, Speaking in May 2016: "We're going to cancel the Paris Climate Agreement and stop all payments of U.S. tax dollars to UN global warming programs."
TAKE VO
He has defunded of the UN's Population Fund, claiming it "supports" abortion in China. But there hasn't been the whole-sale withdrawal of UN funds he suggested.
SOT - Richard Gowan, Senior Fellow, European Council on Foreign Affairs: "It's discovering that it's a lot harder to cut the UN budget and so they're now having to look into the details of very complex blue helmet peace operations to see if they can find savings."
TAKE VO
But if Team Trump has got bogged down in the minutiae of UN bureaucracy, the new US ambassador Nikki Haley has managed to cut a clear path: pushing back at Russia over Syria, reducing peacekeeping numbers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and supporting Israel more vocally than the previous US administration.
SOT - Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the UN: "Regrettably, these monthly meetings routinely turn into Israel bashing sessions. That's the way this Security Council has operated for years."
SOT - Prof. Alon Ben-Meir, NYU Center for Global Affairs: "She has done so far a good job. She was given the freedom in a way to address these issues in a much more forceful manner and it's served the White House well."
TAKE VO
Haley's strength has perhaps raised the UN's profile in the eyes of the President. She's proved it can be a very public platform for the US to exert its influence and criticize foreign powers. However the President has been frustrated by the pace of diplomacy in the UN Security Council, as seen by his decision to strike Syria."
SOT - Richard Gowan, Senior Fellow, European Council on Foreign Affairs: "Trump did not even wait for the Security Council to vote on a resolution regarding the Syrian chemical weapons attacks. Washington showed that it is willing to act unilaterally and that it doesn't really care what the UN says about what it does."
TAKE VO
President Trump has also turned around his opinion of NATO.
Standing next to its Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg earlier this month Trump took back his original assertion that NATO was "obsolete".
TAKE VO
So, three months in, how have the President and his ambassador faired?
Prof. Alon Ben-Meir, NYU Center for Global Affairs:
"If I were to grade him, as a Professor, I'd probably give him a C."
"I'd give her probably an A minus."
TAKE VO
The President is beginning to see the potential of the UN. But his threats, his unpredictability and his distain for the organization are continuing to worry diplomats.
SOC
ENDS
He's started the promised reductions of US contributions to the organization and there could be more budget cuts to follow.
While the first three months of the Trump administration has seen the new US ambassador to the UN driving foreign policy.
Nick Harper looks back on the President's first three months in charge.
IN: "Meeting...."
OUT: SOC
DUR: 02:57
AIR: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-air.mp3
ARN: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-arn.mp3
GENERIC: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-gen.mp3
ICRT: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-icrt.mp3
VON: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-von.mp3
RNZ: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-rnz.mp3
VATICAN: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-vat.mp3
ZIZ: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-ziz.mp3
938: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0426Trump-UN-100days-nh-938.mp3
TAKE PKG
TAKE VO
Meeting the UN Security Council this week at the White House President Trump's tone was more conciliatory.
SOT - Donald Trump, US President: "The important work you do. You really are. You're talking about the most important things ever."
TAKE VO
That's a marked contrast to his bold pledges on the campaign trail.
SOT - Donald Trump, Speaking in May 2016: "We're going to cancel the Paris Climate Agreement and stop all payments of U.S. tax dollars to UN global warming programs."
TAKE VO
He has defunded of the UN's Population Fund, claiming it "supports" abortion in China. But there hasn't been the whole-sale withdrawal of UN funds he suggested.
SOT - Richard Gowan, Senior Fellow, European Council on Foreign Affairs: "It's discovering that it's a lot harder to cut the UN budget and so they're now having to look into the details of very complex blue helmet peace operations to see if they can find savings."
TAKE VO
But if Team Trump has got bogged down in the minutiae of UN bureaucracy, the new US ambassador Nikki Haley has managed to cut a clear path: pushing back at Russia over Syria, reducing peacekeeping numbers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and supporting Israel more vocally than the previous US administration.
SOT - Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the UN: "Regrettably, these monthly meetings routinely turn into Israel bashing sessions. That's the way this Security Council has operated for years."
SOT - Prof. Alon Ben-Meir, NYU Center for Global Affairs: "She has done so far a good job. She was given the freedom in a way to address these issues in a much more forceful manner and it's served the White House well."
TAKE VO
Haley's strength has perhaps raised the UN's profile in the eyes of the President. She's proved it can be a very public platform for the US to exert its influence and criticize foreign powers. However the President has been frustrated by the pace of diplomacy in the UN Security Council, as seen by his decision to strike Syria."
SOT - Richard Gowan, Senior Fellow, European Council on Foreign Affairs: "Trump did not even wait for the Security Council to vote on a resolution regarding the Syrian chemical weapons attacks. Washington showed that it is willing to act unilaterally and that it doesn't really care what the UN says about what it does."
TAKE VO
President Trump has also turned around his opinion of NATO.
Standing next to its Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg earlier this month Trump took back his original assertion that NATO was "obsolete".
TAKE VO
So, three months in, how have the President and his ambassador faired?
Prof. Alon Ben-Meir, NYU Center for Global Affairs:
"If I were to grade him, as a Professor, I'd probably give him a C."
"I'd give her probably an A minus."
TAKE VO
The President is beginning to see the potential of the UN. But his threats, his unpredictability and his distain for the organization are continuing to worry diplomats.
SOC
ENDS