UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced confidence on Friday that Donald Trump will shed the strident rhetoric that propelled him to the White House and engage with the world to confront global crises like climate change.
In an interview with a foreign news agency , he said hoped to meet with the US president-elect in the coming weeks to explain how the United Nations expects the United States to “continue to work for humanity.”
Trump won the US presidency on a platform that calls for closer ties with Russia, pulling out of the Paris climate deal, shaking up security alliances and questioning US funding of the United Nations.
“This is what he said during the campaign period, on the campaign trail,” Ban said in the interview at UN headquarters where the Trump victory has shocked world diplomats.
“Now, post-election, when he creates his transition team with experts and people with vision and expertise, I am sure that the United States will continue to play a leading role,” he said.
Ban spoke by phone with Trump on Friday afternoon and the two men agreed to stay in contact, said a UN statement.