Pecohub U.S. President Donald Trump hosted a welcoming dinner for leaders and spouses of various countries who visited the United States during this period at the historic ‘Lotte New York Palace Hotel’ on Madison Avenue after delivering a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York on the 23rd, his first in six years.
According to the White House pool reporters, Trump arrived at 7:21 p.m. that day and stayed for about an hour and a half until his motorcade left the hotel at 8:49 p.m., engaging in conversations with leaders from various countries.
The venue was bustling with people trying to make an impression on Trump, and a source from the White House said, “145 world leaders, leaders, and spouses queued up to take photos with the presidential couple, with some waiting for several hours.” President Lee Jae-myung was reportedly not in attendance.
Amid Trump’s second term, which has been shaking the world in political and economic spheres, leaders from various countries who visited New York for the UN General Assembly did not miss the opportunity to engage in close interaction with Trump.
In attendance were Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, 石破茂, Spanish King Felipe VI, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and Syrian President Ahmad Al-Shara, among others. Despite Ishiba being in his de facto “final year” as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is set to elect a new leader on the 4th of next month, he remained present.
From the U.S. side, key cabinet members including Secretary of State Marco Rubio made appearances, and ambassadors whose appointments are imminent after Senate confirmation, such as Sergio Gor, the nominee for ambassador to India who previously served as White House personnel director, also greeted leaders of their host countries.
A diplomatic source said, “Most ambassadors in Washington D.C., including Japanese Ambassador to the United States Shigeo Yamada, 山田重夫, also made appearances.” Melania, who hosted a reception for first ladies that afternoon, appeared on stage to watch Trump’s speech.
In his speech, Trump told the leaders, “You are top-tier leaders, and what you do is truly remarkable,” adding, “I want to express how honored I am to share this time with you, who lead the world.
We will have a good time together today and live in a peaceful world.” Melania also took the stage and announced, “We will hold the ‘Growing the Future Together’ event for children around the world in the first quarter of next year,” extending an invitation for “all spouses of the leaders present here to join us at the White House.” After the reception, Albanese posted a selfie with Trump on social media and told reporters, “Trump agreed to a meeting, and we will meet in Washington D.C. on October 20th.”
Trump engaged in a series of ‘small talks’ with various leaders that day. When meeting the Azerbaijani leader, whom he mediated a peace agreement with Armenia for at the White House last August, Trump expressed interest by saying, “Thank you to our friends in Armenia and Azerbaijan,” “I’m proud of you,” and “I’m not sure if the situation there is okay.” Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and current head of Bangladesh’s interim government, officially invited Trump to visit Bangladesh “at his convenience” during their meeting.
Meanwhile, around the same time, President Lee held a dinner with Kathleen Stephens, former U.S. Ambassador to Korea, and Kang Kyung-wha, the nominee for South Korean Ambassador to the United States, at an undisclosed location in New York.
Although Kang has received agrément (approval for her appointment), she has yet to present her credentials to Trump.
It is said that she attended the event in her capacity as president of the Asia Society, a New York-based nonprofit organization.
