UN has not lived up to its potential, says Trump

In a video posted to Twitter Saturday, Trump said, without elaborating, that the UN has "tremendous potential" but has "not lived up to that potential."

“It's always been surprising to me that more things aren't resolved because you have all of these nations getting together in one location but it doesn't seem to get there. I think it will. Again, I look forward to being at the United Nations next week. We're going to make a speech. We're going to have many meetings. A lot of good things could happen”, he said.

Trump is set to address the General Assembly on Tuesday. He will also hold meetings with heads of South Korea, Egypt, France, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Iran and North Korea are expected to dominate Trump’s speech, with members of his administration ramping up the rhetoric against both countries ahead of the assembly. 

Last year, Trump used the platform to threaten to “totally destroy” North Korea and castigate the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which he later withdrew the US from.

The US president is also slated to lead a Security Council meeting on Wednesday, addressing issues such as North Korea, Syria, the Iran deal and nuclear proliferation, according to US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley.

Trump has frequently criticized the UN, claiming that the United States does not get the respect it deserves despite its contributions to the world body – currently at 22 percent of the annual budget.