Why it matters: President Trump’s message at this week’s virtual UN General Assembly was short and relatively simple: global institutions like the World Health Organization are weak and beholden to China; international agreements like the Iran deal or Paris climate accord are “one-sided”; and the U.S. has accomplished more by going its own way.

“I am proudly putting America first, just as you should be putting your countries first,” he declared…

The other side: Joe Biden has vowed to put the global order back together again. His view, expressed this week by his top foreign policy adviser Tony Blinken, is that “the world just doesn’t organize itself” and America remains the country best positioned to do the organizing.

Speaking on the “Intelligence Matters” podcast, Blinken added, “If Joe Biden’s elected on Nov. 3, I think a lot of people will see the last four years as an aberration.”