President Donald Trump stood before the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday and told nearly 200 nations that America under his leadership has shown courage, made peace, and used strength like no other country. He spoke for 37 minutes. He defended the war he launched with Israel against Iran in February. He said he faces a big decision: make a deal with Iran or annihilate the Islamic Republic and drive them into hell with no hope of future greatness.

The speech came one day after a Reuters/Ipsos poll put his overall approval rating at 32 percent, the lowest of his decade-long political career. Support among Republicans had slid to 73 percent from 82 percent a week earlier. Another survey from the American Research Group placed his approval at 29 percent. More than 70 percent of voters in that same poll said the economy was getting worse.

Why does this speech land now, in this form, with these numbers waiting in the background?

Trump used the UN rostrum to claim American supremacy in every category. He said the United States will no longer permit threats to America to gain a foothold anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. He announced the U.S. would begin a significant buildup of its military presence in Greenland, including two new bases. He called on all nations to resign from the International Criminal Court immediately, calling it a rogue institution. When he vowed that Cuba’s communist government will fall, the Cuban delegation walked out.

He also told the assembly that the United States will now refer to artificial intelligence as super intelligence. He said globalists seek to restrain AI development while the United States intends to encourage it.

Andrew Feinberg, reporting for The Independent, noted the Iranian delegation was reported to have walked out upon hearing the threats. Other world leaders used their remarks to warn of the dangers posed by division and unilateral action. The contrast was hard to miss. Trump spoke of stark choices and American dominance. Others spoke of multilateralism and the risks of going it alone.

Who benefits from a speech that leans hard into strength while the president’s own party shows signs of fatigue over the cost of living and the Iran war?

Polling averages continue to place Trump in negative territory overall. The New York Times polling average on September 23 showed 37 percent approve and 60 percent disapprove. RealClearPolitics on September 21 showed 40.1 percent approve and 58.5 percent disapprove. A Marquette University Law School poll released September 15 found 37 percent approval, down three points from July and marking his lowest in Marquette’s tracking since his return to the White House in early 2025. The share of Americans who strongly approve has fallen from 29 percent at the start of his second term to 15 percent now.

Trump told the UN that U.S. and Iranian officials met Tuesday, an unexpected engagement that came even as he threatened to annihilate the Islamic Republic if a deal is not reached soon to end the nearly seven-month war. He predicted that Iran’s leaders would make a deal after the U.S. midterm elections. He asked world leaders to join in isolating Iran economically to discourage Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and attacks on commercial shipping. He said the U.S. military facilitated the supply of more than 1 billion barrels through the Strait of Hormuz and that the volume of oil supplied is now higher than at any time since the beginning of the war.

What would the story look like if the opposite were true, if the speech had been modest and the numbers at home were strong?

There is a gap between the picture Trump painted at the UN and the mood captured in the polls released just before he stepped to the podium. He spoke of a future that is very bright for the United States. He said the country is a leader in virtually everything. He said he has made peace while others have spoken of it. He said America has shown courage while others have talked of it.

Yet a Fox News poll released the week before found 71 percent of voters, including 43 percent of Republicans, believe the administration has no clear plan to end the Iran war. An NBC News survey found the share of Republicans who strongly approve of his handling of the war has fallen 18 points since spring, to 30 percent.

Why frame the UN address as a victory lap when the domestic numbers suggest something else?

Trump also used his remarks to celebrate his military operation in Venezuela this year, when the United States expanded access and control over that country’s oil reserves. He said the U.S. deal with Venezuela’s oil trade is beneficial for both Washington and Caracas and helps reduce energy prices. He said Mexico is the epicenter of cartel violence and must regain control of its land by taking it away from the drug mafia. He said the conflict in Ukraine will be able to settle faster than is commonly believed. He said he has a big decision to make on Iran and that he must decide whether to make a deal or annihilate the country.

The speech was bombastic. It was confident. It was long, almost three times the time usually allocated to one country. It was delivered to a room full of leaders who, in many cases, have begun to openly question whether the United States remains a credible partner.

What does it say about the state of the presidency that the president feels the need to project such force abroad while his approval at home sits at the lowest level of his career?

Trump’s overall approval was down from a reading of 35 percent in the previous week’s Reuters/Ipsos poll. Approval among Republicans dropped to 73 percent from 82 percent. Just 17 percent of Americans endorse the president’s handling of inflation ahead of midterm elections. Over 70 percent believe the economy is getting worse.

The president told the world he has acted while others have talked. He told them America is the most powerful country in the world. He told them the future is very bright.

Who is this message for, if not the voters at home who are telling pollsters they are unhappy with the cost of living, the war, and the direction of the country?

The speech contrasts with his lowest domestic popularity in a decade. It is hard to square the two. It is harder to know what comes next.

Explore: Executive Branch