Trump’s Address

President Trump delivered a speech at the UN during his address to the General Assembly on Tuesday, questioning the organization’s purpose and effectiveness.

Context

Throughout his political career, Trump has consistently criticized the UN. After returning to office in January 2025, Trump withdrew the US from the World Health Organization, ended participation in the UN Human Rights Council, and withheld funding from the organization, creating a UN budget crisis. The Trump Administration also said it plans to review US membership in other international organizations.

UN Critique

In a 56-minute speech on Tuesday, Trump challenged the UN’s effectiveness, asking, “What is the purpose of the United Nations?” He argued that the UN “has such tremendous, tremendous potential, but it's not even coming close to living up to that potential.”

The president complained that the UN only writes “strongly worded letters” without following up, adding that “empty words don't solve war.”

Russia-Ukraine

Trump warned that he was prepared to impose “a very strong round of powerful tariffs” on Russia if it did not work toward ending the war in Ukraine. He said these measures would “stop the bloodshed, I believe, very quickly,” but emphasized that European nations would need to adopt the same measures for them to be effective. The president has repeatedly called on Europe to stop purchasing Russian oil before he takes action against Moscow.

Immigration and Climate

Trump criticized immigration and climate change policies, calling them a “double-tailed monster” that threatens Western civilization. He told European leaders, “It’s time to end the failed experiment of open borders,” adding that European countries “are going to hell.” Trump also claimed Europe has been “invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody’s ever seen before.”

On climate change, Trump called it “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” and urged other nations to abandon green energy initiatives, warning that if they don’t “get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail.”

Reactions

UN Secretary General António Guterres, without directly naming Trump, decried funding cuts to the organization before the speech, saying, “Cuts to aid are wreaking havoc” and calling them “a death sentence for many.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the administration’s stance in a Fox News interview, describing the UN as “feckless” and “just a place for once a year, a bunch of people meet and give speeches.”