Victor Davis Hanson Says 'Trump Should Have A Serious Conversation' About UN's Place In America

On Fox Business Friday, Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Victor Davis Hanson called on President Donald Trump to reassess the United Nations’ (U.N.’s) role and presence in the United States.
In an op-ed, Hanson said that the United Nations has become as ineffective and compromised as the defunct League of Nations, with only Trump willing to confront global crises head-on. Speaking on “The Bottom Line,” Hanson said it may be time to relocate the institution and reexamine America’s financial commitment to global bureaucracies.
“I think we’ve got to cut back on all of the so-called refugee relief funds. And we’ve got out of most of them. And we’ve got out a lot of the spinoffs, like the WHO and other criminal courts,” Hanson said. “But I think Trump should have a serious conversation whether you even want the U.N. headquarters in New York. Because for half the membership, that’s the only time they ever vote in a democratic fashion.”
Hanson discussed the symbolic and strategic implications of hosting the U.N. in New York, warning that the gesture has outlived its value. Instead, he floated the idea of relocating the body to countries like Ghana or Peru.
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“They go home to these autocratic societies. They like to live it up in the United States and then live it up in Manhattan. So I think he should say, ‘You know what. Put it in Ghana or maybe, I don’t know, Peru or somewhere.’ And it’s pretty irrelevant. I can’t think of one thing it’s done in the last 30, 40, 50 years to further peace,” Hanson added. (RELATED: ‘I Hope Middle America Gets Introduced To Her’: Victor Davis Hanson Explains What Happens If AOC Gets Nominated)
The U.N. announced it will cut 25% of its global peacekeeping force in the coming months, pulling up to 14,000 troops from missions worldwide due to U.S. funding cuts tied to Trump’s “America First” policy. A senior U.N. official said the budget for peacekeeping operations will shrink by 15%, with support offices like the one in Somalia also facing reductions.
A Gallup poll in September shows 63% of U.S. adults believe the U.N. is doing a poor job, just days before its general debate opens. While most respondents still see the U.N. as necessary, support has declined compared to past years.
In July, Trump said he would once again withdraw the U.S. from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, citing concerns over its left-leaning bias.
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