President Donald Trump’s UN General Assembly speech strongly criticized the United Nations as being ineffective, while he portrayed himself as the leader who is most capable of solving the world’s conflicts.
“Your countries are going to hell,” Trump said to world leaders during his speech Tuesday.
The speech was Trump’s first at the UN since he returned to the White House. For years, he has excoriated the United Nations and other international organizations and alliances, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
“What is the purpose of the United Nations? The UN has such tremendous potential,” Trump said. “All they seem to do is write a really strongly-worded letter.”
His “America First” policy ideology has largely been at odds with international cooperation and the United States’ history of taking a large role on the global stage.
During his speech, Trump also attacked western nations that adopt green-energy policies and do not crack down on migration. He also falsely claimed that Muslims in the West are planning to institute Shariah law, and threatened to “blow [Venezuela] out of existence” over drug trafficking. The U.S. recently attacked three ships in international waters, claiming without evidence that they were smuggling drugs from Venezuela and were en route to the U.S., despite them being thousands of miles away.
As he attacked the UN, Trump bragged about the U.S. and himself:
• “We have a border, strong, and we have a shape. And that shape doesn't just go straight up. That shape is amorphous, when it comes to the atmosphere.”
• “I’m really good at predicting things,” he said. “The best-selling hat, ‘Trump was right about everything.’ And I don't say that in a braggadocious way, but it’s true.”
Trump also took issues with the General Assembly organizers themselves, complaining about his teleprompter and an elevator stopping while he and First Lady Melania Trump rode it.
“All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle. … If the first lady wasn’t in great shape, she would have fallen,” he said. “But she’s in great shape. We’re both in good shape. We both stood.”
“These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter,” Trump added.
