Former President Donald Trump delivered a combative, hour-long speech to the UN General Assembly, emphasizing his "America First" philosophy and criticizing global cooperation. He argued for lower levels of global migration and urged a departure from climate change policies, asserting that many countries were "going to hell" due to these issues. Trump also lashed out at the UN itself, calling it a "feckless institution" filled with "empty words" that failed to solve conflicts and address immigration concerns.
During his address, Trump boasted about the American economy under his leadership, claiming it was experiencing a "golden age." He stated that energy, gasoline, grocery prices, and mortgage rates were down, inflation had been defeated, and the stock market had hit record highs 48 times. He also asserted that workers' wages were rising at the fastest pace in over 60 years. He claimed that in just eight months of his presidency, $17 trillion in new investments had poured into the United States, compared to less than $1 trillion during the four years of the previous administration. Trump also highlighted the implementation of the largest tax and regulation cuts in American history.
Trump criticized NATO allies for purchasing Russian oil and indicated he would impose strong economic measures against Moscow if they did not join the U.S. in tariffs to end the war. He further claimed to have ended seven "unendable wars" in just seven months, including conflicts between Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, and Israel and Iran. He also took a jab at the UN's building renovation, claiming he could have done it for $500 million, while it ended up costing between $2 billion and $4 billion, resulting in an "inferior product."
A significant portion of his speech focused on immigration, portraying it as "uncontrolled migration" that was "ruining" countries. He criticized the UN for allegedly budgeting $372 million in cash assistance for 624,000 migrants journeying into the United States in 2024, and for providing food, shelter, transportation, and debit cards to "illegal aliens" infiltrating the southern border. He asserted that the UN was "funding an assault on Western countries and their borders" and creating new problems rather than solving them.
