In a just-about hourlong address to the UN General Assembly, US President Donald Trump insulted the organization repeatedly.
He mocked the UN headquarters building, questioned the entire purpose of the organization, bragged about his own accomplishments and called the concept of climate change a “con job.”
Here are some of the more colorful moments, along with some context.
No teleprompter? No problem
TRUMP: I don’t mind making this speech without a teleprompter because the teleprompter is not working. I feel very happy to be up here with you nevertheless, and that way, you speak more from the heart. I can only say that whoever’s operating this teleprompter is in big trouble.
The teleprompter would ultimately be fixed. Trump truly did not seem to mind speaking without it.
Boasts galore. In Trump’s ‘golden age,’ he says the US is so HOT
TRUMP: Six years have passed since I last stood in this grand hall and addressed a world that was prosperous and at peace in my first term. Since that day, the guns of war have shattered the peace I forged on two continents. An era of calm and stability gave way to one of the great crises of our time, and here in the United States, four years of weakness, lawlessness and radicalism under the last administration delivered our nation into a repeated set of disasters.
This is a theme of all Trump speeches. It’s a golden age when he’s in power and chaos when he isn’t. Real life is obviously more complicated.
TRUMP: Just eight months into my administration, we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world, and there is no other country even close.
This is Trump’s new favorite line. The US is HOT.
TRUMP: In my first term, I built the greatest economy in the history of the world. We had the best economy ever, history of the world. And I’m doing the same thing again, but this time it’s actually much bigger and even better. The numbers far surpass my record-setting first term.
People of good will can debate these boasts.
Shoutout to El Salvador
TRUMP: I want to thank the country of El Salvador for the successful and professional job they’ve done in receiving and jailing so many criminals that entered our country.
The US has deported people to El Salvador who are not from El Salvador, and it has also deported people who do not appear to be criminals. They are often held in a controversial prison with appalling living conditions.
TRUMP: On the world stage, America is respected again like it has never been respected before. You think about two years ago, three years ago, four years ago, or one year ago, we were a laughingstock all over the world.
People may not be laughing at the US, in part because Trump has used tariffs as a weapon against much of the world. He has, however, failed to bring peace in Ukraine or in the Middle East, as he promised.
Read a fact check from CNN’s Daniel Dale.
Some thanks would be nice
TRUMP: In a period of just seven months, I have ended seven unendable wars… It’s too bad that I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them, 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.
Ending wars deserves credit. But there are some asterisks. Trump gets clear credit for hosting peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan after nearly four decades of war. The conflict in Congo and Rwanda continues, however, despite Trump’s peace effort, according to CNN’s latest report. India has rejected the idea that Trump ended its short-lived conflict with Pakistan. The ceasefire between Iran and Israel was also negotiated by Qatar and came only after Israel violated Trump’s previous ceasefire announcement. Neither Kosovo and Serbia nor Ethiopia and Egypt were technically at war during Trump’s term. Dale goes much more in-depth.
This building needs work
TRUMP: All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up, stopped right in the middle. If the first lady wasn’t in great shape, she would have fallen, but she’s in great shape. We’re both in good shape. We both stood… These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter.
We will soon learn what’s behind Trump’s dislike of the UN headquarters building.
Why are you even here?
TRUMP: What is the purpose of the United Nations? The UN has such tremendous potential. I’ve always said it. It has such tremendous, tremendous potential, but it’s not even coming close to living up to that potential, for the most part. At least for now, all they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up. It’s empty words, and empty words don’t solve war. The only thing that solves war and wars is action.
Again, Trump gets some credit for peace efforts, but he has failed to stop the two wars he promised to end as a candidate. But it’s also not controversial to say the UN has not lived up to its potential.
Regarding the Nobel Peace Prize
TRUMP: Everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize for each one of these achievements. But for me, the real prize will be the sons and daughters who live to grow up with their mothers and fathers because millions of people are no longer being killed in endless and unglorious wars. What I care about is not winning prizes; it’s saving lives. We save millions and millions of lives with the seven wars. And we have others that we’re working on. And you know that.
Trump very much wants to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He would be the fifth US president to do so, joining Woodrow Wilson, Teddy Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.
Seriously, this building…
TRUMP: Many years ago, a very successful real estate developer in New York, known as Donald J. Trump, I bid on the renovation and rebuilding of this very United Nations complex….
But they decided to go in another direction, which was much more expensive at the time and which actually produced a far inferior product…. It was going to cost them a fortune. And I said, and wait till you see the overruns. Well, I turned out to be right…. They had massive cost overruns and spent between 2 and 4 billion dollars on the building and did not even get the marble floors that I promised them. You walk on terrazzo. Do you notice that?
As far as I’m concerned, frankly, looking at the building and getting stuck on the escalator, they still haven’t finished the job…. The project was so corrupt that Congress actually asked me to testify before them on the tremendous waste of money…. Unfortunately, many things in the United Nations are happening just like that, but on an even much bigger scale. Much, much bigger. Very sad to see.
It’s true. Trump did testify before Congress about the UN headquarters building in 2005.
The US is in the world minority by not recognizing a Palestinian state
TRUMP: As if to encourage continued conflict, some of this body is seeking to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. The rewards would be too great for Hamas’ terrorists for their atrocities… but instead of giving in to Hamas’ ransom demands, those who want peace should be united with one message: Release the hostages now. Just release the hostages now.
The UN recognizes 193 countries and most, more than 150, now recognize Palestine as a state. The countries that joined the list this week include France, Belgium, Monaco, Luxembourg, Malta, Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal.
Stop doing business with Russia
TRUMP: Even NATO countries have not cut off much Russian energy and Russian energy products, which, as you know, I found out about two weeks ago and I wasn’t happy. Think of it — they’re funding the war against themselves. Who the hell ever heard of that one?
Europe does indeed continue to import oil from Russia but far less than before the war, when Russia was Europe’s largest oil importer. The US continues to import things like fertilizer from Russia, according to a CNN report.
End development of biological weapons
TRUMP: Just a few years ago, reckless experiments overseas gave us a devastating global pandemic, yet despite that worldwide catastrophe, many countries are continuing the extremely risky research into bio-weapons and manmade pathogens. This is unbelievably dangerous.
The origins of Covid-19 are, to say the least, still hotly debated. Intelligence agencies that previously declined to say the virus came from a Chinese lab leak have changed their tune in Trump’s second term, although the CIA makes the claim with “low confidence.”
Hold a biological weapons convention
TRUMP: To prevent potential disasters, I’m announcing today that my administration will lead an international effort to enforce biological weapons convention, which is going to be meeting with the top leaders of the world by pioneering an AI verification system that everyone can trust.
Hopefully, the UN can play a constructive role, and it will also go — be one of the early projects under AI. Let’s see how good it is, ‘cause a lot of people are saying it could be one of the great things ever, but it also can be dangerous, but it can be put to tremendous use and tremendous good. And this would be an example of that.
This is an objectively interesting idea.
‘You’re destroying your countries’
TRUMP: We have reasserted that America belongs to the American people, and I encourage all countries to take their own stand in defense of their citizens as well. You have to do that because I see it. I’m not mentioning names. I see it, and I can call every single one of them out. You’re destroying your countries. They’re being destroyed.
Europe is in serious trouble. They’ve been invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody’s ever seen before. Illegal aliens are pouring into Europe. Nobody has ever — and nobody’s doing anything to change it, to get them out. It’s not sustainable. And because they choose to be politically correct, they’re doing just absolutely nothing about it.
The issue of immigration is roiling politics in Europe, too. Trump wants to help fuel a surge to the political right. Trump also made a wild accusation about London’s mayor and made a specious claim about the rise of sharia law in London. Local officials were appalled.
Separately, Trump expresses a lot of concern for Europe and none for the global South.
‘Your countries are going to hell’
TRUMP: It’s time to end the failed experiment of open borders. You have to end it now. It’s — I can tell you. I’m really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell.
Flipping the script on immigration
TRUMP: By them not coming, we’re saving tremendous numbers of lives. My people have done a fantastic job in doing what they did, and the — the American public agrees with it. I mean, I was very proud to see this morning, I have the highest poll numbers I’ve ever had.
Trump here recasts his immigration crackdown and deportation effort as a humanitarian effort. His approval rating, according to Gallup, is at 40%, which is up from July’s 37%, but still very much underwater.
About blowing up boats in the Caribbean
TRUMP: We’ve recently begun using the supreme power of the United States military to destroy Venezuelan terrorists and trafficking networks led by Nicolás Maduro. To every terrorist thug smuggling poisonous drugs into the United States of America, please be warned that we will blow you out of existence. That’s what we’re doing. We have no choice.
There’s a very real question about whether Trump should be asking Congress for authority to make these strikes and whether they violate international law.
Renewable energy is the worst
TRUMP: We’re getting rid of the falsely named renewables. By the way, they’re a joke. They don’t work. They’re too expensive; they’re not strong enough to fire up the plants that you need to make your country great. The wind doesn’t blow. Those big windmills are so pathetic and so bad, so expensive to operate, and they have to be rebuilt all of the time and they start to rust and rot.
Trump is actively working to smother the offshore wind energy industry, including by citing national security to stop at least one nearly completed project.
A green ‘con job’
TRUMP: All green is all bankrupt. That’s what it represents. And it’s not politically correct, I’ll be very badly criticized for saying it, but I’m here to tell the truth. I don’t care, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m in New York City. I’m feeling a lot safer…. It’s the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion. Climate change, no matter what happens, you’re involved in that. No more global warming, no more global cooling.
Trump blames the UN specifically for raising the alarm about climate change. The organization plays a key role in documenting the effects of climate change and pushing for international agreements to address it.
TRUMP: All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong. They were made by stupid people that have cost their countries fortunes and given those same countries no chance for success. If you don’t get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail.
Climate change is occurring and the world is already seeing the consequences.
‘I’ve been right about everything’
TRUMP: And I’m really good at predicting things, you know?… I don’t say that in a braggadocious way, but it’s true. I’ve been right about everything. And I’m telling you that if you don’t get away from the green energy scam, your country is going to fail. And if you don’t stop people that you’ve never seen before, that you have nothing in common with, your country is going to fail. I’m the president of the United States but I worry about Europe. I love Europe, I love the people of Europe, and I hate to see it being devastated by energy and immigration.
He does not appear to worry about Asia, Africa or South America. But he is very confident in his opinions.
Stop being nice. Instead, defend ‘your heritage’
TRUMP: You want to be nice, you want to be politically correct, and you’re destroying your heritage. They must take control strongly and immediately of the unmitigated immigration disaster and the fake energy catastrophe before it’s too late. The carbon footprint is a hoax made up by people with evil intentions, and they’re heading down a path of total destruction.
Trump seems to think there is a cabal of climate scientists in league with the cabal of people who support open borders.
An argument against doing anything at all about the climate
TRUMP: So all of these countries are working so hard on the carbon footprint, which is nonsense, by the way. It’s nonsense.
He’s arguing that because China is emitting more carbon, every other country shouldn’t bother.
TRUMP: In the United States we have, still, radicalized environmentalists, and they want the factories to stop. Everything should stop. No more cows. “We don’t want cows anymore.” I guess they want to kill all the cows.
Cow farts produce methane and it’s a major climate change issue. But there is no serious talk about killing all the cows.
Go ahead, litter?
TRUMP: In Asia, they dump much of their garbage right into the ocean, and over about a one-week and two-week journey, it flows right past Los Angeles — you’ve seen it — massive amounts of garbage, almost too much to do anything about flowing past Los Angeles, past San Francisco, and then somebody will get in trouble because he dropped a cigarette on the beach. The whole thing is crazy.
This line of thinking would lead to a lot of cigarette butts on beaches.
A call for more air conditioning
TRUMP: European electricity bills are now four to five times more expensive than those in China, and two to three times higher than the United States. And our bills are coming way down.
Electricity prices are on the rise in the US, in part due to the needs of AI.
TRUMP: So while the US has approximately 1,300 heat-related deaths annually — that’s a lot — Europe loses more than 175,000 people to heat deaths each year cause the costs are so expensive, you can’t turn on an air conditioner. What is that all about? That’s not Europe, that’s not the Europe that I love and know — all in the name of pretending to stop the global warming hoax.
Clearly Europe needs more air conditioning as a result of climate change. But it also seems likely that the rise in heat related deaths there has something to do with climate change.
TRUMP: 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.
‘Clean, beautiful coal’
TRUMP: I have a little standing order in the White House — never use the word “coal,” only use the words, “clean, beautiful coal.” It sounds much better, doesn’t it?
Not to those concerned about the climate crisis. How about an all-of-the-above strategy that recognizes climate change?
Make the World Great Again?
TRUMP: In closing, I just want to repeat that immigration and the high cost of so-called green renewable energy is destroying a large part of the free world, and a large part of our planet. Countries that cherish freedom are fading fast because of their policies on these two subjects. You need strong borders and traditional energy sources if you are going to be great again.
In short, Trump says to the rest of the world, you’re all doing it wrong.
