Morning Wire: "Making the U.N. Relevant Again: How Trump is Shaking Up the Organization’s Operation"

Podcast: Morning Wire
Date: December 7, 2025
Host: Brent Scher (Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief)
Guest: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the bold changes underway at the United Nations under President Trump’s administration, focusing on U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz’s mission to reform the organization. The conversation centers on the push to refocus the U.N. on its original mandate — promoting peace and security — and curtail involvement in what the Trump team calls “distractions” like climate and social issues. The discussion explores pragmatic steps taken to cut bureaucracy, share burdens, and wield American influence at the U.N., with firsthand insights into global diplomacy, successes, and the challenges encountered inside the institution.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Entering the U.N. — First Impressions & Challenges

• [04:07] Ambassador Waltz recounts his dramatic first week at the U.N., describing technical malfunctions during President Trump’s inaugural speech (escalator, teleprompter, microphone failures) and Trump’s resilience:
  • “Any other world leader, literally standing on the global stage, teleprompter goes down... What did President Trump do?... He just charged ahead. I think he’s better when he speaks from the heart and speaks off the cuff.” (Amb. Mike Waltz, [04:20])
  • Trump reiterated the U.N.’s foundational purpose: to prevent wars, reflecting on the distance it has strayed from its original charter.

2. Trump Doctrine at the U.N.: Prioritizing Peace & “America First”

• [06:25] Waltz details President Trump’s direction for a leaner, peace-oriented United Nations, rejecting what he calls “nonsense” — an excess focus on climate, gender, and social issues:
  • “Let’s get back to peace. And as the peace president, you know, he made it work.” (Amb. Mike Waltz, [04:58])
• Emphasis on “burden sharing”: urging other nations to contribute more, lessening U.S. financial and operational weight.

3. Actionable Reforms: Shrinking Bureaucracy & Redirecting Missions

• [08:58; 11:11] Waltz outlines a strategic withdrawal and defunding from U.N. agencies that either fail to serve U.S. interests or are plagued with inefficiency/corruption:
  • WHO (World Health Organization): Left due to COVID mismanagement and Chinese influence.
  • UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency): Defunded over Hamas infiltration.
  • Human Rights Councils that “cater” to hostile states: Exited these forums.
  • Climate agencies: Criticizes existence of seven different climate bodies.
• Results so far:
  • “The U.N. has already agreed to cut over 2,600 bureaucratic positions... a 15% overall budget cut, and a quarter — 25% — of its peacekeepers around the world.” (Amb. Mike Waltz, [11:11])

4. U.N. as a Forum for Diplomacy — and U.S. Leadership

• [11:57] Despite past calls to defund or exit the U.N., Waltz argues for targeted engagement:
  • U.N. remains the sole global forum where adversarial states can communicate diplomatically.
  • Vital American involvement in standard-setting (aviation, space, shipping) ensures alignment with U.S. (not China’s or Russia’s) interests:
    “I want everybody... aligned with our standards, not China or Russia’s standards.” (Amb. Mike Waltz, [10:24])

5. Burden Sharing in Practice: Haiti & Gaza

• [06:59] Case study: Haiti’s gang crisis
  • U.S. shifted lead responsibility for peace operations to a U.N. coalition (“Gang Suppression Force”) — U.S. now pays a quarter of prior costs, with Kenya and others contributing.
• Gaza: International force now keeps peace following President Trump’s peace plan, with U.N. “blessing.”

6. Personal Challenges at the U.N.

• [12:44] Waltz notes adversarial atmosphere at the U.N., full of countries often hostile to U.S. policy:
  • “There are days where I think that the tribes of the Middle East and Afghanistan are easier than here.” (Amb. Mike Waltz, [12:44])
  • Recalls dramatic moments, including disruptions from the Cuban ambassador.

7. Spotlight on Christian Persecution in Nigeria – With Nicki Minaj

• [14:00] Innovative advocacy: Pop star Nicki Minaj partners with Waltz to raise awareness about Christian persecution in Nigeria, leveraging her global influence on social media:
  • “It actually started with President Trump, who... put a spotlight on the persecution of Christians around the world. She replied as a Christian herself and thanked him.” (Amb. Mike Waltz, [14:09])
  • Hosted joint U.N. event with a Nigerian pastor recounting harrowing stories of violence and oppression. Nigerian government moved (albeit slowly) in response.
  • “Didn’t see that one coming. But where we can work together to not just put a spotlight and educate people, but to make sure there’s real action.” (Amb. Mike Waltz, [15:22])

8. Final Thoughts & Outlook

• [16:24] Waltz reiterates his mission:
  • “We’re swinging. We’re swinging hard. We’re going to clean it up and get it focused on the right things... We’re sharing the burden, pushing these countries in the right direction. But it’s all under [President Trump’s] leadership.” (Amb. Mike Waltz, [16:24])

Notable Quotes

• “He just started charging right up the stairs. Any other world leader… he just charged ahead. I told him afterwards, I think he’s better when he speaks from the heart and speaks off the cuff.”
  — Ambassador Mike Waltz ([04:12])
• “Stop with all of the other nonsense… let’s get back to peace.”
  — Ambassador Mike Waltz ([04:55])
• “We’ve rebranded it to call it the Gang Suppression Force… given them much more of an offensive mandate.”
  — Ambassador Mike Waltz ([07:22])
• “It’s really about focusing our effort on the parts that align with an America first agenda and defunding and walking away from the rest of it. The nonsense.”
  — Ambassador Mike Waltz ([09:00])
• “I want that American led and in the United States, not in places like Beijing or Moscow.”
  — Ambassador Mike Waltz ([10:55])
• "There are days where I think that the tribes of the Middle east and Afghanistan are easier than here."
  — Ambassador Mike Waltz ([12:44])
• “Didn’t see that one coming. But where we can work together to not just put a spotlight and educate people, but to make sure there’s real action.”
  — Ambassador Mike Waltz, on Nicki Minaj partnership ([15:22])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:07] – Waltz recounts Trump’s first U.N. speech, technical mishaps, and the America First agenda
• [06:25] – U.N. reform strategies and “burden sharing” examples
• [08:58] – Walking away and defunding problematic U.N. agencies
• [11:11] – Initial reform: personnel and budget cuts at the U.N.
• [12:44] – Navigating hostility and adversaries at the U.N.
• [14:00] – Christian persecution in Nigeria, Nicki Minaj’s involvement
• [16:24] – Waltz’s closing outlook and affirmation of reforms

Episode Summary

In this engaging conversation, Ambassador Mike Waltz shares how President Trump’s administration is actively reshaping the United Nations to serve its foundational purpose — global peace and security. The episode details concrete reforms: aggressive cutting of bureaucracy, exiting agencies contrary to U.S. interests, and championing burden sharing so America shoulders less of the load. Waltz describes the U.N. not as irredeemable but as an arena that, under strong U.S. leadership, can advance peace, set international standards, and spotlight issues like religious persecution, even with unlikely allies like Nicki Minaj. While progress comes with resistance and friction, Waltz remains committed to “swinging hard” to return the U.N. to relevance, in line with a distinctly America First foreign policy vision.