The upcoming transition of power at the United Nations has taken a concerning turn for supporters of multilateral diplomacy. Macky Sall, the former president of Senegal and a frontrunner to replace outgoing Secretary-General António Guterres in 2027, has actively embraced the nationalist political style of Donald Trump. By framing his candidacy around the promise to target an international "deep state" and "Make the UN Great Again" (MUNGA), Sall is signaling a potential retreat from the humanitarian and collaborative missions of the global body.

Sall's alignment with conservative U.S. foreign policy was made clear in a recent interview, where he lauded Donald Trump as a "peace builder," glossing over significant international tensions, including those involving Iran. By adopting the "MUNGA" slogan—originally created by conservative Ambassador Mike Waltz—Sall is attempting to appeal to right-wing U.S. politicians who have long sought to weaken the United Nations' regulatory and humanitarian reach. This development threatens to reduce global cooperation to a transactional business model focused solely on corporate-style efficiency.

The push for these sweeping structural changes is being championed by conservative insiders like Hugh Dugan, a former Trump National Security Council advisor who now runs Multilateral Accountability Associates. Dugan and other critics claim the UN is bogged down by administrative bureaucracy, using this narrative to justify potential cuts to vital international programs. For decades, conservative critics have targeted the UN's administrative budget, ignoring the life-saving work done by its agencies in public health, climate action, and refugee relief.

This assault on global institutions comes at a time when the world is recovering from some of the most devastating crises of the century. Under the tenure of current Secretary-General António Guterres, who took office in 2017 and departs in 2027, the UN has had to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Rather than supporting the UN during these unprecedented trials, conservative leaders have used these crises to argue that the organization is fundamentally obsolete.

Donald Trump's rhetoric has been particularly damaging to international solidarity. In his September 2025 address to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump openly questioned the very purpose of the organization, dismissing its diplomatic efforts as merely writing "strongly worded letters." This reductionist view ignores the essential role the UN plays as a forum for developing nations and marginalized populations who rely on multilateral agreements to protect their sovereignty and human rights.