Donald Trump, United States president, delivered a wide-ranging speech at the opening of the UN General Assembly’s 80th session in New York, using the platform to defend his record, criticise international institutions, and lecture world leaders on issues from migration to climate change.
The speech, which began without a teleprompter, quickly veered off-script. Trump touched on everything from Barack Obama’s carbon footprint to his own failed bid years ago to renovate the UN’s headquarters. He mocked wind energy, praised “clean, beautiful coal,” and suggested that environmentalists “want to kill all the cows.”
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If there was a central thread, it was his criticism of how the UN and much of the world handle global crises compared with what he described as his more effective approach. “It’s too bad that I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them,” Trump said. “That being the case, what is the purpose of the United Nations?”
Trump railed against open borders, calling them a “failed experiment” and boasting that his administration had stopped migrants from entering the United States. “Once we started detaining and deporting everyone who crossed the border, they simply stopped coming,” he claimed.
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He also highlighted US military action against drug cartels near Venezuela, vowing to destroy traffickers who smuggle narcotics into the country. “Please be warned that we will blow you out of existence,” he told them.
Trump urged leaders to stand by the principles on which the US was founded nearly 250 years ago, including free speech and religious liberty. Calling Christianity “the most persecuted religion on the planet,” he said, “Together, let us defend free speech and free expression. Let us protect religious liberty.”
The comments came only days after Trump suggested that TV networks critical of him might have their broadcasting licences revoked.
The president criticised Europe’s high energy prices and what he called an obsession with climate change and green energy. “We stand ready to provide any country with abundant, affordable energy supplies if you need them — and most of you do,” he said, offering US coal and fossil fuels as alternatives.
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On Palestine, Trump condemned recent moves by several US allies to recognise a Palestinian state, calling it a “reward for horrible atrocities, including October 7.” He demanded the immediate release of remaining hostages held by Hamas and insisted peace could only begin once that happened.
Turning to Ukraine, he said he had expected Russia’s invasion to be easily resolved but argued its continuation was making Moscow “look bad.” He urged Europe to immediately halt all energy purchases from Russia.
He also called for an international effort to end the production of biological and nuclear weapons, warning of their catastrophic potential.
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Trump’s address stretched well past the 15-minute guideline for world leaders, filled with anecdotes and tangents. He recalled his past bid to rebuild the UN headquarters for $500 million, saying the organisation had instead opted for a “far inferior product” at a higher cost.
“It’s too bad that I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them,” the president said. “… That being the case, what is the purpose of the United Nations?”
Throughout, Trump positioned himself as a lone problem-solver in contrast to what he painted as the UN’s inaction. He even mused about the Nobel Peace Prize, though he said the real prize would be “saving lives” by bringing wars to an end.
“Sadly, in all cases, the United Nations did not even try to help,” Trump said. “What I care about is not winning prizes, it’s saving lives.”
