Defiant UNGA speech belies Trump’s woes

US President Donald Trump took credit for ending wars and confronting Iran in a defiant speech before world leaders at the UN General Assembly. Donald Trump took credit for ending wars and confronting Iran in a defiant speech before world leaders at the UN General Assembly Tuesday, even as the US president faces mounting obstacles to his agenda at home and abroad. Trump’s approval rating fell to a record low, according to a new poll, dragged down by stubborn inflation and surging fuel prices stemming from his war with Iran that is increasingly unpopular with voters and members of his own party; one Republican lawmaker pleaded with Trump to “ stop the bleeding ” by banning diesel exports before the midterms. Trump’s efforts to broker peace in Ukraine have also faltered, though its leader on Tuesday expressed hope that Washington would help end the conflict “ before winter.”