US President Donald Trump opened a scathing attack on the United Nations and its policies such as climate change, while targeting one of Washington's closest allies on Tuesday.
His comments were rejected by speakers who spoke at the General Assembly both prior to and subsequent to his stint at the podium.
“What is the purpose of the UN?” he asked. “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,” he said.
“It’s not even coming close to living up to that potential,” he said.
In a moment that appeared to validate his rhetoric about UN inefficiency, the escalator he was riding suddenly halted, and the teleprompter failed.
Trump pointed out that the platform provides direct communication, yet much of his speech was more akin to a domestic campaign rhetoric than an official international address.
His address was 57 minutes long, well over his allocated 15 minutes. He referenced the stock market record, stopping illegal immigration, tariffs, and his plan to rebuild during a second term the "greatest economy in the history of the world" he asserted existed in his first term.
Former President Joe Biden was also criticized severely throughout the speech.
Among the notable positive things in his speech was his intention to tackle biological weapons.
“To prevent potential disasters, I'm announcing today that my administration will lead an international effort to enforce the Biological Weapons Convention,” he said.
Trump outlined plans to bring world leaders together to address the creation of bioweapons using artificial intelligence.
If bioweapons were employed, 'there would be no United Nations to be discussing, there would be nothing,'" he threatened.
Tactfully not identifying China by name, he asserted that the pandemic caused by COVID was caused by "reckless experiments abroad" in biotechnology.
He was preceded by speakers who had defended the UN in expectation of his attack.
General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock remarked that in the absence of the security provided by the UN's International Civil Aviation Organisation, world leaders would have been unable to meet face-to-face.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres underscored that the UN was founded to value cooperation over chaos, law over lawlessness, and peace over conflict. He warned that the world today is confronted with the option between "a world of raw power or a world of laws, a world that is a scramble for self-interest or a world where nations come together."
Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto underscored the UN's role in his nation's independence, development, and poverty alleviation.
Trump returned to domestic matters, condemning illegal immigration as not only a problem for the US but for other countries as well. He also blamed European allies for not taking strong action against Russia.
Warning European nations, he said that certain nations are "going to hell" because illegal immigration is undermining their societies, and he said that London was increasingly dominated by Sharia law.
But he warned that the choice was now between “a world of raw power or a world of laws, a world that is a scramble for self-interest or a world where nations come together”.
Emphasizing UN inefficiency, Trump stated that he offered to restore the building for $500 million but the UN instead hired other contractors who overspent and produced substandard work costing several billion dollars.
He dismissed the existence of a global climate crisis, instead favoring carbon-based fuels over wind power.
Trump also placed punitive tariffs on Brazil for prosecuting his ally, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of trying to stage a coup. However, in the speech, he showed warmth to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who addressed him earlier, and said he would receive him next week.
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