By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
Trump Targets UN and Western Allies in Fiery UNGA Address
US President Donald Trump returned to the global stage on Tuesday with a hard-hitting speech at the United Nations General Assembly, criticising the organisation, European governments, and longstanding international policies.
In his first address to the UN since reclaiming the White House, Trump accused the world body of irrelevance, saying it had failed to act decisively in crises ranging from Ukraine to Gaza.
“All they seem to do is write strongly worded letters,” he said. “Empty words don’t stop wars.”
The 79-year-old president, whose 2018 UN speech drew laughter from fellow leaders, this time spoke to an audience that largely listened in silence.
He complained about the UN headquarters itself, mocking its malfunctioning escalators and teleprompters, which he claimed symbolised inefficiency.
Trump also denounced recent recognitions of Palestinian statehood by some US allies, calling the move a “reward” to Hamas for the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
He criticised Europe for purchasing Russian oil despite sanctions, and rebuked China and India for the same, though he spared Russia his harshest words.
Immigration was a central focus of his address. He accused the UN of supporting what he described as an “invasion” of Western countries through migration, telling European leaders bluntly: “Your countries are going to hell.”
On climate change, Trump repeated a familiar stance, dismissing it as fraudulent. “Climate change is the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world,” he said, pledging to expand drilling and reverse environmental restrictions in the United States.
Trump also highlighted his domestic policies, boasting about military crackdowns on crime and airstrikes against alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers.
“To every terrorist thug smuggling poisonous drugs into the United States, please be warned—we will blow you out of existence,” he declared.
Since beginning his second term, Trump has accelerated policies that limit US participation in international institutions, withdrawing from the World Health Organization and the UN climate pact, scaling back foreign aid, and imposing sanctions against foreign judges.
In contrast, UN Secretary-General António Guterres used his opening remarks to warn that cuts in global assistance, particularly by the United States, were “wreaking havoc.”
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also cautioned about “anti-democratic forces” threatening global institutions, a veiled reference to his predecessor, who enjoys Trump’s support.
Trump said he had briefly greeted Lula at the UN and agreed to meet him next week. He is also set to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following his August meeting in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which ended without progress despite breaking Moscow’s diplomatic isolation.
Earlier in the day, the US Secret Service revealed that it had disrupted a plot to interfere with UN telecommunications systems, allegedly involving state-backed actors.
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