U.S. President Donald Trump will address the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday as world leaders grapple with crises from Gaza to Ukraine and question whether the United States, with its "America First" foreign policy, is still prepared to play a leadership role in global affairs.
Since taking office in January, Trump has upended U.S. foreign policy, slashing foreign aid, imposing tariffs on friend and foe alike and cultivating warmer - if volatile - relations with Russia.
At the same time, he has sought, so far with only limited success, to solve some of the world's most intractable conflicts.
Some 150 heads of state or government are expected to address the chamber this week, including Trump, who is the second scheduled speaker after the session opens at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT).
Trump will speak eight months into a second term, marked by severe aid cuts that have sparked humanitarian concerns and raised doubts about the U.N.'s future, prompting U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to try to trim costs and improve efficiency.
White House officials have yet to guide what Trump will say.
But according to planning documents reviewed by Reuters, the Trump administration plans to call this week for sharply narrowing the right to asylum, seeking to undo the post-World War Two framework around humanitarian protection.
Trump's more restrictive stance would require asylum-seekers to claim protection in the first country they enter, rather than a nation of their choosing, a State Department spokesperson said.
Guterres and Trump are expected to meet formally for the first time since Trump returned to office in January.
Trump describes the U.N. as having "great potential" but says it has to get its "act together."
He has maintained the same wary stance on multilateralism that was a hallmark of his first term from 2017 to 2021, and also accused the world body of failing to help him try to broker peace in various conflicts.
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