United States President Donald Trump launched a fierce attack on the United Nations and European allies during his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
It was his first appearance at the world body since returning to the White House, and he used the platform to accuse the UN of failing to live up to its responsibilities while warning that Western nations were facing collapse due to migration.
Trump, 79, spoke for nearly an hour, delivering a speech that was sharply critical of global institutions. He claimed the UN had not supported him in his attempts to end wars and negotiate peace deals in Ukraine and Gaza. He also accused the organization of responding to conflicts with what he described as empty statements instead of real action.
The American leader repeated his opposition to the recognition of a Palestinian state by some US allies, arguing that it rewarded armed groups for past attacks. He also attacked European countries for continuing to purchase oil from Russia despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. China and India were mentioned in the same context, though Trump’s criticism of Moscow itself was more restrained.
Migration, one of Trump’s central political themes, was another focus of his speech. He accused the UN of supporting what he described as a threat to Western societies and warned European leaders that their countries were in decline because of immigration policies.
Trump also rejected climate change policies, calling them a hoax, and defended his push for oil drilling and the rollback of environmental regulations. He described global climate action as a scam designed to mislead nations.
The president went on to highlight his domestic security agenda, boasting about deploying troops to counter unrest in Washington and targeting drug traffickers with military strikes. He vowed harsh measures against anyone attempting to smuggle drugs into the United States.
Trump’s second term has been marked by a strong nationalist approach. He has taken steps to withdraw the US from international agreements, including the World Health Organization and the UN climate accord, reduced foreign aid, and imposed sanctions on international judicial officials he accused of undermining US sovereignty.
During the same UN summit, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that US-led aid cuts were causing chaos globally, while Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva raised concerns about threats to democracy. Despite their differences, Trump revealed that he and Lula had a brief interaction and planned to meet again.
Trump is also scheduled to hold another meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This comes weeks after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which broke Moscow’s diplomatic isolation but did not result in progress on the war.
Ahead of the session, the US Secret Service disclosed that they had foiled a suspected plot involving foreign actors to disrupt telecommunications around the UN headquarters during the gathering.