Trump Returns to UN With Combative Speech, Undiplomatic Swipes, and Shifting Tone

US President Donald Trump’s return to the United Nations General Assembly in New York was marked by a volatile mix of confrontation and contradiction, with the U.S. leader using the global platform to deride the institution’s role in international peacekeeping, issue warnings to Europe over immigration and climate policy, and tout what he called second-term foreign policy successes. 

But in a private meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Trump reversed course and pledged full U.S. support to the same organization he had branded ineffective.

Trump’s UN address was steeped in nationalist rhetoric and criticism of multilateralism. He accused the UN of issuing “empty words” in the face of global conflicts and warned that its failure to act was a key reason for continuing wars. 

He particularly targeted European countries for what he called a “double-tailed monster” of immigration and green energy policies, predicting these would “destroy their heritage.”

Among a string of sweeping claims, Trump defended his administration’s military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and boats carrying narcotics, brushing aside international and domestic legal concerns. 

He escalated threats against Russia, warning of sweeping new tariffs if Moscow does not enter peace talks, and demanded Hamas release all hostages immediately, while condemning European recognition of Palestinian statehood.

In a revealing moment, Trump dismissed climate change science as a “con job,” ridiculed green energy initiatives, and blamed UN-backed migration programs for “invading” Western borders. At the same time, he claimed credit for cracking down on immigration through mass deportations and border militarization, calling his policies “humanitarian acts.”

Trump at UNGA

His speech also veered into domestic U.S. politics, lashing out at Democrats over a looming government shutdown and reigniting unfounded claims linking Tylenol and vaccines to autism—comments that triggered sharp rebukes from medical experts and global health agencies.

Yet in his later bilateral with Guterres, Trump insisted the U.S. remained “100% behind” the United Nations, citing its “great potential for peace.” 

The reversal came just hours after Trump mocked the UN’s infrastructure failures—referencing a stopped escalator and a malfunctioning teleprompter as metaphors for institutional dysfunction.

Beyond the podium, Trump announced backing for Argentina’s President Javier Milei amid economic volatility, promised to meet Brazil’s Lula da Silva despite strained ties, and reiterated a hardline stance on trade tariffs, sanctions, and immigration controls.