‘Not a friend of democracy’: Trump’s past UN criticism

President Donald Trump speaks during the "Reforming the United Nations: Management, Security, and Development" meeting during the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, in New York. From left, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Trump, UN Ambassador Nicky Haley, White House chief of staff John Kelly, and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) President Donald Trump speaks during the "Reforming the United Nations: Management, Security, and Development" meeting during the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, in New York. From left, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Trump, UN Ambassador Nicky Haley, White House chief of staff John Kelly, and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

By Associated Press September 18, 2017 3 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – “Utter weakness and incompetence.” ”Not a friend of democracy.” ”Just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.”

As President Donald Trump visits the United Nations, a look at some of his past tough comments about the world body:

– “Why is the UN condemning @Israel and doing nothing about Syria? What a disgrace,” he tweeted in October 2011, one of a series of tweets about the organization that year. Trump said that September he was “increasingly concerned” with what he called “the UN’s ploy against @Israel this coming week.”

“We must stand firm against the UN’s ploy to sabotage Israel — -if the UN grants the PA statehood then we must immediately defund it,” he wrote.

– “The cheap 12 inch sq. marble tiles behind speaker at UN always bothered me. I will replace with beautiful large marble slabs if they ask me,” he tweeted in October 2012.