US President Donald Trump of the 193 countries of the world on Tuesday that their nations are “going to hell” because of uncontrolled migration. Photo Xinhua
By Jim Cason and David Brooks, Washington DC and NYC on Sept. 23, 2025
US President Donald Trump declared at a meeting of all 193 countries of the world on Tuesday that their nations are “going to hell” because of uncontrolled immigration and the “hoax” of climate change, insisting that they can only be saved if they work with the United States.
“In seven months, I have ended seven wars,” he said in his dizzying speech lasting more than an hour at the 80th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, which is being held this week here at its headquarters on the East River in New York City. “Too bad I had to do this instead of the United Nations. Sadly, the United Nations did nothing.“ He added that ”all I got from the UN is an escalator that stopped halfway and a teleprompter that doesn’t work,” referring to equipment failures when he delivered his speech on Tuesday.
Trump took the podium after speeches by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who offered passionate calls for global unity to address climate change, global poverty and inequality, and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. With his message explicitly and directly opposed to that of the first speakers—who essentially expressed the consensus of the overwhelming majority of the UN—Trump congratulated himself on his domestic and international successes, including ordering troops onto the streets of his capital and anti-immigrant measures at the national level, and once again suggested that he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.
In his only comments on Latin America, Trump justified the bombing of boats he accuses of transporting drugs off the coast of Venezuela—an action that Lula had just described as a violation of international law—warning any “terrorist” who tries to bring ‘poison’ to the United States that “we will blow you out of existence.” On the other hand, he attacked the criminal “persecution” of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, adding that “Brazil is bad and will continue to be bad. They will only get better when they work with the United States.” He said he had run into Lula in the hallway before taking the podium, that they hugged and had “excellent chemistry,” and announced that they had agreed to meet in person next week.
“What is the purpose of the United Nations?” he asked before answering, “They are empty words, and empty words do not resolve these wars.” He also claimed that his decision to join Israel in bombing Iran had led to the resolution of the conflict between those two countries (a conclusion with which those two countries disagree), and accused Hamas of being the obstacle to a ceasefire in Gaza without attributing any responsibility to Israel.
In fact, his next sentence was a direct attack on the vast majority of the governments sitting in front of him: “As if they wanted to fuel further conflict, some in this hall are now seeking to recognize a Palestinian state.” He said that “instead of giving in to Hamas, those who want peace should demand the return of the hostages.” However, Trump later met with Arab leaders to try to rescue the chances of a ceasefire.
The US president praised his efforts to end the conflict with Ukraine, but admitted that peace has been more difficult to achieve than he anticipated, criticizing Europeans for demanding more sanctions on Russia while continuing to buy gas from Moscow. In one of the very few bilateral meetings he held today, he met with Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky and shortly afterwards surprised everyone with a message on social media advising North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries to shoot down Russian drones flying over their territories and concluding that Ukraine, with European support, can reconquer all the territory it has lost to Russia since 2014—something experts believe is impossible. It is unclear whether this unexpected turn is a negotiating tactic or something real.
Trump also met with Argentine President Javier Milei, whose priority here is to seek a U.S. bailout for his economy. Trump said his administration would help Argentina but did not think a financial bailout was necessary, Reuters reported.
The solution to all the world’s problems, and to avoid “going to hell,” is obvious and simple: “I come here to offer the hand of American leadership and friendship to any nation willing to forge a safer and more prosperous world.”
But he made it clear that this aid comes with conditions, and he devoted most of his speech to two of the main points of the US right wing that it has tried to export to the rest of the world: migration would discount and the “false” problem of climate change. “It is time to end the open border experiment. Your countries are going to hell,“ he said, noting that ”Europe is in serious trouble and is being invaded by illegal foreigners. It is not sustainable.” Trump accused the UN of fueling this migration by offering support to refugees.
As he often does in his speeches, Trump deviated from his message and attacked his opponents, this time including former President Joe Biden’s “most corrupt administration.” He also surprised many here by recalling that he had submitted a bid for the contract to renovate the UN headquarters in the 1980s, implying that the complex was deteriorating and the escalators were not working, all as a result of his bid being rejected.
On the podium in front of the presidium in the large hall where General Assembly President Baerbock, a former member of Germany’s Green Party, was seated, Trump devoted a large part of his speech to attacking the concept of climate change. “If you don’t get away from this great green energy and climate change scam, your country will fail,” he told world leaders. That is why, he recalled, his administration withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement.
He concluded: “Immigration and the high cost of so-called green energy are destroying the world. Strong borders and traditional energy sources are needed to prosper.”
The Trump administration has not paid all its dues to the UN and has withdrawn not only from the Paris Agreement, but also from the World Health Organization, the organization’s Human Rights Council, UNESCO, and the agency for Palestinian refugees, among others. However, after his speech, he reassured those who thought he might announce his country’s complete withdrawal from the organization.
Source: La Jornada, translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English