Former U.S. President Donald Trump made a controversial return to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, where he fiercely critiqued the global institution. His address mocked the UN for its perceived inability to foster peace and accused it of promoting illegal migration.
From the UN podium, Mr. Trump intensified his criticism, asserting that the UN was facilitating an ‘assault’ on Western nations through migration, claiming these countries were ‘going to hell’ as a result.
He further leveraged the prominent international platform to condemn global warming initiatives, famously declaring climate change worries to be ‘the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.’
Questioning the very existence of the institution, Mr. Trump challenged, ‘What is the purpose of the United Nations?’ He added that the body primarily produces ‘really strongly worded letter[s],’ concluding, ‘It’s empty words, and empty words don’t solve war.’
The former president, now 79, also took the opportunity to air grievances about minor operational issues at the UN’s New York headquarters, specifically mentioning a malfunctioning escalator and teleprompter – facilities he has often criticized throughout his two presidential terms.
He quipped, ‘This is these are the two things I got from the United Nations, a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter,’ highlighting his disdain.
While emphasizing his purported successes in ending seven conflicts, Trump then addressed two ongoing crises where his diplomatic efforts have yielded no resolution: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza triggered by Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023.
Regarding the Middle East, he controversially labeled the recognition of a Palestinian state by several U.S. allies as a ‘reward’ for the ‘horrible atrocities’ committed by Hamas. He then called on Hamas to release hostages as a pathway to peace.
Trump also criticized European allies, China, and India for continuing to purchase oil from Russia. While his tone towards Moscow remained somewhat subdued, he stated that Washington was prepared to implement unspecified sanctions.
However, his most forceful rhetoric was directed at immigration, as he berated the UN, accusing it of ‘funding an assault’ on Western countries.
He declared, ‘It’s time to end the failed experiment of open borders,’ warning that ‘Your countries are going to hell.’ He also singled out London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan, notable as the first Muslim mayor of a Western capital, for criticism.
This address marked the beginning of Mr. Trump’s second term, which has been characterized by a surge of nationalist policies that limit international cooperation.
His administration has initiated withdrawals from key international bodies like the World Health Organization and the UN climate agreement, drastically cut U.S. development aid, and imposed sanctions on foreign judges whose decisions he deemed infringing on national sovereignty.
Earlier, at the summit’s opening, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered a stark warning, stating that aid reductions, particularly those spearheaded by the United States, were ‘wreaking havoc’ globally.
Mr. Guterres posed a critical question to the world leaders present: ‘What kind of world will we choose? A world of raw power — or a world of laws?’
Regarding Ukraine, Mr. Trump is scheduled for a second meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This follows his August 15 summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which, while ending Moscow’s isolation in the West, failed to achieve any significant progress on the Ukrainian conflict.
Despite Trump’s continued assertions that he can swiftly resolve the war, Russia has intensified its assaults on Ukraine over the past month and caused alarm with drone and air incursions into NATO territories including Poland, Estonia, and Romania.
Last week, Mr. Trump expressed disappointment, stating that Mr. Putin had ‘really let me down.’
Among his limited one-on-one engagements, Mr. Trump is slated to meet with Argentina’s right-wing President Javier Milei, an ideological counterpart whose government the U.S. is reportedly contemplating an economic rescue package for.
Prior to his arrival in the heavily secured UN district, which was bristling with armed police, agents, barricades, and road closures, the U.S. Secret Service announced it had thwarted a ‘telecommunications-related’ plot.
The Secret Service revealed the discovery of a ‘weaponized farm’ containing over 100,000 cellphone SIM cards, designed to disrupt communications near the UN, and indicated the involvement of ‘nation-state threat actors’ in the scheme.