President Trump Criticizes UN at General Assembly, Highlights Global Challenges

NEW YORK — President Trump spoke to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly about accomplishments in his second term, priorities for his administration, and shortcomings of the UN organization. He opened with lighthearted comments about a malfunctioning teleprompter during his address and an earlier escalator breakdown as he arrived with the first lady, but implied those issues were emblematic of broader problems within the UN.

The president highlighted progress at home. Despite challenges from prior governments, he declared that “today, just eight months into my administration, we are the hottest country anywhere in the world, and there is no other country even close.” Under his guidance, he added, “Gasoline prices are down. Grocery prices are down. Mortgage rates are down. And inflation has been defeated.” Record stock market gains have accompanied surging growth, robust manufacturing, and wage increases “at the fastest pace in more than 60 years.”

Trump described ending seven protracted conflicts during his current term: those involving Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, the Congo and Rwanda, Pakistan and India, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, as well as Armenia and Azerbaijan. He sharply faulted the UN for failing to intervene. “It’s too bad that I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them,” he stated. “And sadly, in all cases, the United Nations did not even try to help in any of them. 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.” In his view, the organization relies on forceful letters without meaningful follow-through, an approach he said proves ineffective for settling disputes.

On the Middle East, Trump opposed unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. He argued that such a step would unduly reward Hamas for its actions, including the October 7 assault on Israel. The group has turned down multiple “reasonable” peace proposals, he noted, while holding hostages. Even so, he stressed the urgency of resolution: “We have to stop the war in Gaza, immediately. We have to get it done.”

Trump also pressed for an end to the Ukraine-Russia conflict, a central focus of his appearance. He called on UN member states to halt purchases of Russian oil and gas, which he described as financing hostilities against themselves. He reiterated his position that the war would have never started had he been president at the time, and said, “The only question now is how many more lives will be needlessly lost on both sides.”

The president linked past events to present risks by mentioning COVID-19. He attributed the pandemic to careless experiments in China and warned that risky work on bioweapons and artificial pathogens persists in other countries. To counter those dangers, his administration plans to spearhead enforcement of the Biological Weapons Convention through an AI-based verification system “that everyone can trust.” He expressed hope that the UN would contribute positively to the initiative.

Trump turned to migration as a mounting concern for UN nations. He accused the organization of underwriting pressure on Western borders. For 2024, the UN allocated $372 million in cash aid to assist an estimated 624,000 migrants heading unlawfully toward the United States. Beyond funds, the group supplied food, shelter, transportation, and debit cards to those individuals, said Trump.

Border crossings attempts at the southern United States frontier “have simply stopped,” Trump reported. He condemned the influx of millions under previous leadership as intolerable and blamed the UN for worsening the situation. “In the United States, we reject the idea that mass numbers of people from foreign lands can be permitted to travel halfway around the world, trample our borders, violate our sovereignty, cause unmitigated crime, and deplete our social safety net,” he remarked. Along the migration routes from Central and South America, women face rape and other grave harms, he observed.

Trump outlined steps against drug traffickers and cartels. Groups such as MS-13 and Tren de Aragua “torture, maim, mutilate, and murder with impunity,” he said, labeling them “enemies of all humanity.” Drugs claimed 300,000 American lives last year alone. “Each boat that we sink carries drugs that would kill more than 25,000 Americans,” he emphasized.

Renewable energy drew criticism from the president as costly, insufficient for power needs, and inconsistent. China manufactures wind turbines for export worldwide yet installs few at home, he observed. Germany deserves credit, he continued, for shifting back to fossil fuels and nuclear power after earlier renewable commitments led toward financial strain.

Trump questioned UN forecasts on climate change. “In 1982, the executive director of the United Nations Environmental Program predicted that by the year 2000, climate change would cause a global catastrophe,” he recalled. “He said that it will be irreversible as any nuclear holocaust would be. […] Another UN official stated in 1989 that within a decade, entire nations could be wiped off the map by global warming. Not happening.” He dismissed global warming as “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” and called the carbon footprint “a hoax made up by people with evil intentions.”

The United States aims to bolster energy self-sufficiency through expanded oil, gas, and coal production, Trump affirmed. He also hopes to increase energy exports. “We stand ready to provide any country with abundant, affordable energy supplies if you need them,” he offered.

On trade, tariffs serve as a means to promote equitable commerce, the president explained. “In the United States, we want trade and robust commerce with all nations—everybody,” he said. “We want to help nations. We’re going to help nations. But it must also be fair and reciprocal.” Trump also mentioned the use of tariffs for political pressure, citing Brazil as an example, where new duties respond to actions like censorship and attacks on political opponents in the United States.

Trump wrapped up by anticipating the 250th anniversary of American independence next year. That milestone represents “a testament to enduring power and American freedom and spirit,” he said. He renewed warnings about immigration and renewables as threats to free societies. To the assembly, he proposed collaboration: “let us all work together to build a bright, beautiful planet, a planet that we all share, a planet of peace and a world that is richer, better, and more beautiful than ever before.”