President Donald Trump used his keynote speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to lambaste the international organization, questioning its purpose and calling the organization a failure, particularly in the face of “uncontrolled migration.”
“The United Nations is funding an assault on Western countries and their borders,” Trump said, urging other countries to crack down on immigration. “It’s time to end the failed experiment of open borders. You have to end it now. I can tell you. I’m really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell.”
The speech lasted more than an hour and hit on some of Trump’s favorite topics: his skill at ending conflicts, his past career in real estate, his tariff policy and his belief that he has turned the U.S. from a troubled country to a thriving one. But he circled back repeatedly to immigration and the “hoax” of climate change.
The president singled out European leaders specifically.
“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,” he said. “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 love Europe. I love the people of Europe, and I hate to see it being devastated by energy and immigration,” he continued. “This double-tailed monster destroys everything in its wake, and they cannot let that happen any longer.”
He repeatedly encouraged other countries to follow his lead. Trump defended the U.S. military’s strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters, which U.N. experts have criticized.
“We’ve recently begun using the supreme power of the United States military to destroy Venezuelan terrorists and trafficking networks led by [Venezuelan leader] 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,” Trump said. “That’s what we’re doing. We have no choice.”
Trump also expressed his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the continued war in Ukraine.
“Everyone thought Russia would win this war in three days, but it didn’t work out that way. It was supposed to be just a quick little skirmish,” Trump said. “It’s not making Russia look good, it’s making them look bad, no matter what happens from here on out.”
Earlier this month, Trump said he was ready to place sanctions on Russia, but only if NATO countries stop buying Russian oil. He once again criticized NATO countries for this.
This year’s UNGA has been ground zero for a push for Palestinian recognition: Multiple countries, including the United Kingdom and France have recognized Palestine as a state. Trump said recognizing Palestine as a state was too great a reward for Hamas, called for an end to the war in Gaza and for the hostages to be released.
Outside of mentioning his effort to end the war between Israel and Iran earlier this year, Trump did not mention Israel or its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The speech was heavy on criticism of the U.N., from its policies to its infrastructure. Trump opened his address reading from a binder due to a broken teleprompter and complained that an escalator was broken.
“These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter,” he said.
Trump has cut millions in funding to the United Nations and severed ties between the United States and some U.N. organizations. Trump affirmed his position that changes need to be made for the U.N. to be an effective organization.
“The U.N. has such tremendous potential,” Trump said. “But it’s not even coming close to living up to that potential for the most part.”