Trump calls out UN and praises own peacemaking

On his way to the United Nations General Assembly floor Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump got momentarily stuck on a faulty escalator. Then, his teleprompter stopped working. For Trump, the equipment problems highlighted what he described as the UN’s failures. In an hourlong speech, he claimed to have ended seven wars in seven months in office, while “all I got from the UN was a broken escalator and a broken teleprompter.”

For 80 years, the United States has participated in the UN, the dominant form of rules-based international order meant to prevent world wars. But President Trump, in his speech Tuesday morning, took aim at that system. Instead, he proposed his own method of diplomacy, largely through trade pressures. The president said that the high tariffs he enacted forced other countries to renegotiate trade agreements with the United States. He called the practice a defense mechanism and said it can be a model for more effective diplomacy around the world. Trump praised the countries in the room working with his administration and called out others for failing to do so.

UN relationship

The speech: Much of Trump’s speech touted his actions and policies independent of the UN. He said he offered American leadership and friendship to forge a safer world. By contrast, he accused the United Nations of spending a lot of money for few results. He cited several UN resolutions and strongly worded letters: “It’s empty words, and empty words don’t solve war.” While the UN is meant to broker peace and ensure security around the world, Trump said he was instrumental in ending seven conflicts and hampering Iran’s nuclear program—all without UN input. His administration is launching an international effort to stop countries from conducting bioweapon research, which he characterized as a growing danger after the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump said the U.S. will also pioneer an artificial intelligence verification system as part of the effort, while relegating the UN to a “constructive role.”

The situation: Earlier this year, Trump withdrew the United States from the UN Human Rights Council. He also withdrew from the World Health Organization, which is run by the UN, and from its education and cultural agency, UNESCO, which he called woke and divisive. But the United States remains on the UN Security Council. In February, America sided with Russia and China on a resolution that called for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, but did not blame Russia for starting it. Five countries, including the United Kingdom and France, abstained from the vote that adopted the resolution.

Russia-Ukraine

The speech: Trump repeated a frequent point of his, that he at first thought solving the Russia-Ukraine war would be the easiest task. In his speech, he said both sides are needlessly killing young people daily and that he is working on a ceasefire. He also attacked UN members such as China and India for indirectly funding the war by buying Russian oil. Trump called on all European countries to end the “embarrassing” practice of buying Russian energy sources.

The situation: Last week, the European Union proposed the bloc’s first-ever sanctions on Russian gas. While European countries have halted most imports of oil and coal from Russia, liquified natural gas has continued to supply most of Europe. The new proposal, if adopted, would end all purchases of liquified natural gas by 2026. Trump has accused both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of trying to stall peace talks. Trump met with Zelenskyy later in the afternoon

Immigration

The speech: Trump accused the UN of perpetuating what he called a crisis of uncontrolled migration. Influxes of immigrants, both legal and illegal, were destroying Western countries, he said. The president urged nations to follow his example of arresting and deporting illegal immigrants. Nations must be allowed to defend their own borders and “prevent their societies from being overwhelmed by people they have never seen before, with different customs, religions with different everything.”

The situation: Trump further accused the UN of financing illegal immigration, citing its 2024 Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan, which budgeted $372 million in cash and voucher assistance for immigrants moving through Latin America, many of whom were trying to reach the United States. Trump characterized the plan as a way to finance an invasion.

Palestinian territories

The speech: Trump briefly touched on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, saying he is still working on a ceasefire in Gaza. Peace relies on the release of the remaining 20 living hostages currently in Hamas captivity, he said. Aside from his entrance and conclusion, members only applauded Trump’s call to release the Israeli hostages.

The situation: At the UN General Assembly, France and Saudi Arabia are hosting a two-state solution conference, which is supported by the majority of the UN member states. The United States is not participating. This week, France, Canada, and the United Kingdom joined 145 other UN members to recognize Palestine as a state. In an interview with NBC Tuesday morning, Secretary of State Marco Rubio brushed off the large group, saying that the United States, not any other UN member, is the key negotiator in ending the conflict and eliminating Hamas. Later today, Trump is also scheduled to host the leaders of several Middle Eastern nations for multilateral talks on Gaza.