NOTE TO STUDENTS: We encourage you to consider the following: Base your opinion about a president’s speech by watching it rather than relying on what others say about it. Determine the tone of the speaker and the content of the speech. What is your reaction to it? THEN read/listen to what others say about it.

1. A president’s General Assembly address is not only to the UN world leaders, but to the American people as well. What good news does President Trump emphasize about a coronavirus vaccine?

2. a) What does President Trump accuse China’s communist government of doing? (list 2) and of lying about (list 2)?

b) Trump urged the UN: “As we pursue this bright future, we must hold accountable the nation which unleashed this plague onto the world: China.” What do you think? How should the UN hold China accountable for lying to the world?

3. a) In addition to knowingly allowing Covid-19 to spread around the world, list the actions China takes that harm the world’s environment.
b) How does the president contrast these with America’s environmental actions?

4. The president asserts, “Those who attack America’s exceptional environmental record while ignoring China’s rampant pollution are not interested in the environment. They only want to punish America, and I will not stand for it.”
What is your reaction to this? Ask a parent the same question.

5. a) The president also lists issues the UN must focus on (work to solve) in order to be an effective organization. List 7 world problems President Trump says the UN must combat.
b) Some of the leaders of UN member countries the president is addressing allow, or are complicit in, these crimes against humanity. How should the UN world body deal with this?

6. a) What steps is his administration taking to promote human rights, according to President Trump? (list 5)
b) What does the president say are some of the accomplishments his administration has had in “three short years.” (list 8) See paragraphs 14-17.

7. Trump concludes his speech by pointing out, “For decades, the same tired voices proposed the same failed solutions, pursuing global ambitions at the expense of their own people. But only when you take care of your own citizens will you find a true basis for cooperation. As President, I have rejected the failed approaches of the past, and I am proudly putting America first, just as you should be putting your countries first. That’s okay — that’s what you should be doing.”
What do you think of President Trump’s approach? Ask a parent the same question. Explain your answers.