President Trump’s speech, filled with familiar grievances and false claims, criticized the U.N. as ineffective. Speaking before him, the U.N.’s secretary general warned that the organization’s principles “are under siege.”
President Trump criticized the United Nations as ineffective on Tuesday and lectured its member nations on how they are failing in a meandering, hourlong speech before the General Assembly on Tuesday.
Boasting about his own record and at one point questioning whether the U.N. served a purpose, Mr. Trump sought to portray himself as the only leader who could solve the world’s problems. “I’m really good at this stuff,” he said. “Your countries are going to hell.”
As the General Assembly convened on its 80th anniversary with wars raging in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, Mr. Trump also claimed that he had resolved conflicts around the world while the U.N. had done nothing. “Sadly, in all cases, the United Nations did not even try to help in any of them,” Mr. Trump said.
But he also frequently veered off script. He warned darkly of a “double-headed monster” of illegal migration and a shift to renewable energy, and called climate change the “greatest con job” ever perpetrated on the world. He accused environmentalists of wanting to “kill all the cows,” personally insulted the Muslim mayor of London and falsely claimed that Muslims in the West are planning to institute Shariah law.
While taking credit for ending conflicts between Israel and Iran, Cambodia and Thailand, and Armenia and Azerbaijan, Mr. Trump again blamed his predecessor, Joseph R. Biden, for Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine, a frozen war that has proved intractable.
He also said China and India were financing the Ukraine war because they purchase oil from Russia. He said he was ready to impose more tariffs on Russia and its oil customers if Moscow does not agree to a cease-fire, but he would do so only if Europe also ends all purchases of Russian oil and gas.
Besides taking shots at Mr. Biden, Mr. Trump targeted other political opponents and close NATO allies that have recognized a Palestinian state.
Mr. Trump repeated his demand that “we want all the hostages back” from Gaza without mentioning the issues of Israel’s efforts to take Gaza City or his past promises to get more food and aid to the enclave. Israel’s blockade of aid to the enclave amid a growing humanitarian crisis has drawn accusations of genocide.
Among the highlights today:
Defending the U.N.: In his welcoming speech, the secretary general of the United Nations, António Guterres, warned about the dangerously chaotic state of the world while providing a measure of hope that unity and diplomacy can bring stability. “People everywhere are demanding something better, and we owe them something deserving of their trust,” Mr. Guterres said. He also touched upon climate change, something he has made a priority for his legacy, only to have Mr. Trump deride it as a “hoax” minutes later.
Scathing speech: Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, gave a scathing opening address that appeared to take aim at Mr. Trump’s steep tariffs against Brazil and his demands to halt Brazil’s criminal prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally. Later, the U.S. president appeared to offer an olive branch, signaling that he planned to meet with Mr. Lula next week.
Security Council: The U.N. Security Council will convene back-to-back sessions on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine this afternoon, with many foreign ministers in attendance. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who is expected to meet with Mr. Trump on Tuesday, will address the Council. The Council has not acted in either conflict, blocked by the veto power of Russia in the case of Ukraine and of the United States in support of Israel.
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