Donald Trump’s New York State of Mind

by Ahmed Charai  •  Gatestone Institute  •  September 25, 2026 at 5:00 am

Behind the familiar Trump theater at the United Nations this week was a serious demonstration of how this administration understands American power: establish leverage, define the limits, then negotiate. Pictured: President Trump speaks before the UNGA.  Sept. 22, 2026.  By The White House – https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/55545302042/, Public Domain, Link

• Behind the familiar Trump theater, however, was a serious demonstration of how this administration understands American power: establish leverage, define the limits, then negotiate.

• Kushner’s presence is significant. From the Abraham Accords to Gaza, Ukraine, and now Iran, he has… concentrat[ed] on ending conflicts and building what comes after them. It is diplomacy conceived less as process than as an attempt to produce an outcome.

• Iran matters far beyond the nuclear question. The confrontation touches the Strait of Hormuz, global energy markets, Israel, Gulf security, Yemen, and the calculations of China and Russia.

• The objective is not simply an agreement. It is a regional balance capable of surviving one.

At the United Nations, President Donald Trump offered a revealing demonstration of American power: pressure, dialogue, and the leverage to know when to use each.

For one week every September, New York becomes the capital of the world. Motorcades replace taxis, presidents replace tourists, and behind the speeches at the United Nations, governments search for meetings that may matter more than the speeches themselves. This year, the stakes were particularly high: war with Iran, the continuing war in Ukraine, instability across the Middle East, tensions with China, and growing doubts about whether international institutions can still manage a world increasingly shaped by hard power.

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