In a fiery address to the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. President Donald Trump launched a sweeping critique of global actors, targeting America’s adversaries, its traditional allies, and the international body itself. Trump accused China and India of fueling the conflict in Ukraine, condemned European nations as “going to hell,” and issued a stark warning about the potential for global annihilation from nuclear weapons.
The war in Ukraine was a central theme of his speech. Trump identified China and India as the “main sponsors” of the conflict, citing their continued purchases of Russian energy. While noting his “good relations” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump threatened to impose a “very serious package of tariffs” against Russia to halt the fighting. However, he made this action conditional on European cooperation, stating, “for these measures to be effective, European countries must join them.”
Trump reserved some of his harshest criticism for European partners, calling it a “disgrace” that they continue to buy Russian oil and gas while opposing the war. He also assailed their migration policies, urging them to “put an end to the failed experiment with open borders right now.” In a provocative claim, he alleged that London was considering a move “to Sharia law” and warned his European counterparts, “Your countries are going to hell.”
The United Nations itself was not spared. Trump dismissed the organization as largely ineffective and wasteful, using a broken escalator and a malfunctioning teleprompter he encountered as metaphors for its dysfunction. “All I got from the UN was a non-working teleprompter and escalator,” he remarked, characterizing the organization’s actions as “empty words” that fail to solve real-world problems.
Touching on other global crises, the U.S. President called for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, urging UN members to send a clear message to Hamas to “release the hostages now.” He also advocated for a ban on biological and nuclear weapons, linking “reckless experiments” to the recent global pandemic and delivering a grave warning: “The world could literally come to an end.”