Trump at UNGA: United Nations does not help peace

US President Donald Trump relentlessly mocked the United Nations on Tuesday in his first address since his White House comeback, blasting it for failing to bring peace and claiming the world body encourages illegal migration.

In his return to the UN General Assembly podium, Trump accused the UN of fostering an "assault" through migration on Western countries that he said were "going to hell".

"What is the purpose of the United Nations?" asked Trump.

"All they seem to do is write a really strongly-worded letter," he said. "It's empty words, and empty words don't solve war."

The 79-year-old even complained about a broken escalator and teleprompter at the New York headquarters of the UN, the global organisation that he has repeatedly targeted during both of his presidential terms.

"These are the two things I got from the United Nations, a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter," he said.

“Two things I got from the United Nations, a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter”

Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, US President Donald Trump criticised the UN for its failures pic.twitter.com/oPMKScGAf9

— TRT World (@trtworld) September 23, 2025

'Greatest con job ever'

He likewise used the major forum to denounce efforts to reduce global warming, calling climate crisis concerns "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world".

The US president alleged that the concept of carbon footprints was "a hoax" during his address before the UNGA.

"Climate change — it's the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion," he said.

"(The) carbon footprint is a hoax made up by people with evil intentions, and they're heading down a path of total destruction."

US President Donald Trump once again says he ended this year's Pakistan-India conflict, along with six other wars around the world pic.twitter.com/wUjnlxKM1o

— TRT World (@trtworld) September 23, 2025

'China, India funding Russia's war'

Trump lashed out at European allies, as well as China and India, for failing to stop oil purchases from Russia, while remaining relatively restrained on Moscow even as he said Washington was ready to impose unspecified sanctions.

Trump said China and India were funding Russia's three-year war with Ukraine.

"China and India are the primary funders of the ongoing war by continuing to purchase Russian oil," the US president said in an address before the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

"The war in Ukraine makes Russia look bad," he added.

Touting what he said were his efforts to end seven wars, Trump turned to two where his outreach has produced no results: Russia-Ukraine and Israel's war in Gaza.

He called recognition by a slate of Washington's allies of a Palestinian state a "reward" to Palestinian resistance group Hamas for "horrible atrocities" and urged the group to release hostages to reach peace.

He did not mention more than 65,000 Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza.

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Source: TRT