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President Donald Trump used his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to deliver a scathing critique of the organisation, portraying it as ineffective, outdated, and far from fulfilling its intended mission.
Trump opened his remarks with grievances about the UN headquarters itself, referencing what he described as failures ranging from a broken escalator he had just used to a malfunctioning teleprompter. “What is the purpose of the United Nations?” he asked. “It’s not even coming close to living up to that potential.”
Throughout the speech, Trump claimed personal credit for foreign policy breakthroughs, asserting that he had singlehandedly brokered peace agreements without UN assistance. “It’s too bad that I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them,” he said. “I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of each and every one of these countries, and never even received a phone call from the United Nations offering to help in finalizing the deal.”
The president repeatedly painted himself as the sole driver of peace efforts, despite also adopting a combative tone. He boasted of his desire for peace — and for a Nobel Peace Prize — but issued sharp warnings on global issues. Addressing immigration, he accused European leaders of neglecting their borders. “You’re destroying your countries,” he declared. “I can tell you I’m really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell.”
On climate change, Trump dismissed scientific consensus with a blunt dismissal: “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.” He told world leaders that his administration would not sacrifice American prosperity to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, insisting that others abandon what he called harmful globalist policies. “The entire globalist concept of asking successful industrialized nations to inflict pain on themselves and radically disrupt their entire societies must be rejected completely and totally, and it must be immediate,” he said.
Trump also took credit for influencing NATO to boost defence spending and urged European states to halt oil purchases from Russia, which he said were fuelling Moscow’s war in Ukraine. He expressed a desire for peace in Ukraine and in the Israel–Hamas conflict in Gaza, but offered little detail on how he intended to pressure the warring sides.
At one point, Trump’s speech turned deeply personal and political. He compared the moment to his inauguration address, declaring the beginning of a new “golden age” for America. He also attacked his predecessor, Joe Biden, accusing him of squandering a world that was, in Trump’s words, “prosperous and at peace” at the end of his first term.
The address often strayed into campaign-style rhetoric. He praised his administration’s immigration measures, claimed Europe was facing an “invasion” of illegal migrants, and even targeted London’s mayor, saying, “now they want to go to sharia law” there.
As his remarks stretched on, Trump insisted that history would vindicate him. “During the campaign they had a hat, the best selling hat ‘Trump was right about everything,’” he said. “And I don’t say that in a bragging way but it’s true. I’ve been right about everything.”
Concluding, Trump extended an invitation to other nations: “I’ve come here today to offer the hand of American leadership and friendship to any nation in this assembly that is willing to join us in forging a safer, more prosperous world. But to get there, we must reject the failed approaches of the past and work together to confront some of the greatest threats in history.”
