President Donald Trump launched a sharp attack on the United Nations in his annual address to the General Assembly on Tuesday, accusing the global body of failing to support his foreign policy efforts and wasting resources on migration.
Trump dismissed the UN as an organisation that offers “nothing but empty words,” framing its role as ineffective in resolving conflicts.
He argued that the body had not backed his efforts to end wars, despite what he described as successful negotiations with world leaders.
“I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of each and every one of these countries, and never even received a phone call from the United Nations offering to help in finalizing the deal,” Trump said.
“These are the two things I got from the United Nations — a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter, thank you very much.”
Attacks on migration and sovereignty
Trump accused the UN of financing illegal migration, portraying the aid it provides as a threat to national borders.
“The UN is supposed to stop invasions, not create them, and not finance them,” he said.
.@POTUS: “Not only is the U.N. not solving the problems it should—too often, it is actually creating NEW problems…. The United Nations is FUNDING an assault on Western countries and their borders… The U.N. is supposed to STOP invasions—not CREATE them and not FINANCE them.”
“In the United States, we reject the idea that mass numbers of people from foreign lands can be permitted to travel halfway around the world, trample our borders, violate our sovereignty, cause unmitigated crime and deplete our social safety net.”
He added that the US has “reasserted that America belongs to the American people,” encouraging other nations to adopt similar positions in defence of their citizens.
Focus on the domestic economy
Turning to economic themes, Trump said his administration had lowered inflation, boosted wages, and made the US the “hottest country in the world.”
He warned that immigration was damaging other nations while reiterating that his policies had resolved global conflicts.
“What is the purpose of the United Nations?” Trump asked.
“At least for now, all they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up? It’s empty words, and empty words don’t solve war. The only thing that solves war and wars is action.”
Tense relations with the UN
Trump’s confrontational approach has strained US relations with the UN.
He has previously pulled the US out of bodies such as UNESCO, the Human Rights Council, and the World Health Organization, while rejecting initiatives tied to climate change and asylum protections.
Since taking office in January, the US has largely stopped paying its UN dues and continues to carry arrears from 2024, according to the organisation.
His administration has also imposed tighter visa restrictions, including barring Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas from this year’s session and limiting entry for Iranian diplomats.
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