‘Your countries are going to hell’: recap of Donald Trump’s address to the UN general assembly
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In an address lasting almost an hour, more than three times the allotted length, Donald Trump issued a stunning indictment of immigration in European countries, clean energy projects, and the efficacy of the United Nations as an organization. Without a working teleprompter, the president went off-script regularly and even attacked his political adversaries.
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Trump began his speech by criticizing the UN for not helping him in the process of “ending seven wars” since he returned to office. The self-professed achievement isn’t quite accurate, as my colleague Andrew Roth reports. But it didn’t stop the president for slamming the UN, claiming it’s not living up to its potential: “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. “The only thing that solves war and wars is action.”
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Without acknowledging that he hasn’t fulfilled his campaign promise of ending the war in Ukraine “on day one”, Trump laid blame on countries for buying Russian oil. He called out India, China, and a number of Nato allies. “They’re funding the war against themselves,” Trump said. As hopes of a ceasefire feel increasingly elusive, the president said that “in the event that Russia is not ready to make a deal to end the war, then the United States is fully prepared to impose a very strong round of powerful tarifs.” But scolded Europe, saying that they would “have to join” the US by “adopting the exact same measures”.
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For much of his speech, the president went on lengthy tirades about immigration. He used his leadership in America as example of “bold action” to “swiftly shut down uncontrolled migration”, but issued a stunning warning that European countries are “going to hell”. Trump called the overall rate of immigration throughout Europe as part of the “globalist migration agenda” and urged many allies to “end the failed experiment of open borders”.
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Ultimately, Trump’s thesis tied immigration with clean energy projects the two issues that would lead to “the death of Western Europe”. Throughout his address, the president derided several renewable energy projects and said that climate change is “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” and means you can’t “get away from this green scam”. He then issued a warning to countries investing in these projects: “Your country is going to fail. And I’m really good at predicting things.”
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When it came to the war in Gaza, Trump said next to nothing about the worsening humanitarian crisis in the region. Instead he focused on the release of the remaining Israeli hostages. “We want all 20 back. We don’t want two and four,” he said. “Unfortunately, Hamas has repeatedly rejected reasonable offers to make peace.” The president continued to disagree with the growing body of countries who have formally recognized a Palestinian state. “This would be a reward for these horrible atrocities, including October 7,” Trump said.
Key events
Oliver Milman
As we’ve been reporting, Donald Trump has attacked countries that have embraced the “green scam” of clean energy, using his speech at the United Nations to urge governments to stay wedded to the fossil fuels that are causing the climate crisis.
Trump, who has instigated the gutting of climate regulations and the halting of clean energy projects in the US, told leaders in New York on Tuesday that climate change is “the greatest con job ever perpetrated upon the world”.
Countries are on the brink of destruction because of the green energy agenda. If you don’t get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail.
Trump has long promoted fossil fuel extraction in the US, which he calls “drill, baby, drill”, but is now expanding this credo internationally by targeting the climate policies of other countries and striking deals in a bid to ensure the ongoing purchase of American oil and gas, rather than clean energy technology coming from China.
Trump told the UN that the idea of a carbon footprint is “nonsense” and criticized Europe for cutting its own planet-heating emissions. “Congratulations Europe, great job, you’ve cost yourself a lot of jobs, a lot of factories,” said Trump, who added that he recently spent three days urging Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, to drill for more oil and move away from wind and solar.
I want to see them do well, I want to stop them ruining their beautiful Scottish and English countryside with windmills and massive solar panels. We aren’t letting this happen in America.
Trump also, erroneously, blamed global air pollution problems on China, claimed environmentalists want to “kill all the cows” and that previous predictions of global heating were wrong and a “hoax”.
Scientists have, in fact, largely been accurate in their forecasts of rising temperatures and are now clear that the world must transition away from fossil fuels to avoid further, disastrous, heating.
Countries are set to meet in Brazil in November to thrash out new targets to cut emissions, although most have not submitted new goals as yet and many are wayward in their existing cuts.
António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, has convened a meeting of leaders for Wednesday to try to spur greater momentum for deeper emissions cuts. In a speech delivered shortly before Trump spoke, Guterres said that “fossil fuels are a losing bet” and called on richer countries to do more.
“We have the solutions and tools but we must choose climate justice and climate action,” he said.
Following that speech to the UN, Donald Trump’s first bilateral meeting of the day is with UN secretary-general António Guterres.
Their meeting started at 11:40am ET, per a White House official, with US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, secretary of state Marco Rubio, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and US special envoy Steve Witkoff also seated on the American side.
Per White House pool reporter Emily Goodwin, Guterres has talked about how the United States is “essential” to UN and praised Trump for working toward “peace”. “We are entirely at your disposal to work together toward a just peace,” he told the US president.
To which Trump replied (in a markedly different tone to his blistering speech to the assembly earlier):
It’s always an honor to be here but this was more exciting with the escalator and teleprompter.
These things happen … Our country is behind the United Nations 100%. I think the potential of the United Nations is incredible. Really incredible. It can do so much. I’m behind it. I may disagree with it some times but I am so behind it … The potential for peace with this institution is so great.
So I just want to thank you for treating us so lovely.
Leaders did not take questions.
Trump cancels meeting on short-term funding bill with top Congressional Democrats
Just before taking to the podium and addressing the UN general assembly, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would no longer meet with top Democratic lawmakers – Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries – to discuss their health care provisions in a short-term spending bill that has stalled in Congress.
Trump said that no meeting with the leaders could “possibly be productive”, after both of them confirmed a sitdown had been scheduled for this week.
“All Congressional Democrats want to do is enact Radical Left Policies that nobody voted for — High Taxes, Open Borders, No Consequences for Violent Criminals, Men in Women’s Sports, Taxpayer funded “TRANSGENDER” surgery, and much more,” Trump wrote. “To the Leaders of the Democrat Party, the ball is in your court. I look forward to meeting with you when you become realistic about the things that our Country stands for. DO THE RIGHT THING!”
In response, senator Schumer said that when Trump was “finished ranting” they could “sit down and discuss health care”.
Meanwhile, congressman Jeffries wrote that “Trump always chickens out”, adding that “extremists want to shut down the government because they are unwilling to address the Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating America.”
A reminder that the government is hurtling towards a shutdown, as current funding expires at the end of September. Lawmakers from both chambers are currently on recess, with only the Senate due to return just one day before funding lapses.
‘Your countries are going to hell’: recap of Donald Trump’s address to the UN general assembly
-
In an address lasting almost an hour, more than three times the allotted length, Donald Trump issued a stunning indictment of immigration in European countries, clean energy projects, and the efficacy of the United Nations as an organization. Without a working teleprompter, the president went off-script regularly and even attacked his political adversaries.
-
Trump began his speech by criticizing the UN for not helping him in the process of “ending seven wars” since he returned to office. The self-professed achievement isn’t quite accurate, as my colleague Andrew Roth reports. But it didn’t stop the president for slamming the UN, claiming it’s not living up to its potential: “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. “The only thing that solves war and wars is action.”
-
Without acknowledging that he hasn’t fulfilled his campaign promise of ending the war in Ukraine “on day one”, Trump laid blame on countries for buying Russian oil. He called out India, China, and a number of Nato allies. “They’re funding the war against themselves,” Trump said. As hopes of a ceasefire feel increasingly elusive, the president said that “in the event that Russia is not ready to make a deal to end the war, then the United States is fully prepared to impose a very strong round of powerful tarifs.” But scolded Europe, saying that they would “have to join” the US by “adopting the exact same measures”.
-
For much of his speech, the president went on lengthy tirades about immigration. He used his leadership in America as example of “bold action” to “swiftly shut down uncontrolled migration”, but issued a stunning warning that European countries are “going to hell”. Trump called the overall rate of immigration throughout Europe as part of the “globalist migration agenda” and urged many allies to “end the failed experiment of open borders”.
-
Ultimately, Trump’s thesis tied immigration with clean energy projects the two issues that would lead to “the death of Western Europe”. Throughout his address, the president derided several renewable energy projects and said that climate change is “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” and means you can’t “get away from this green scam”. He then issued a warning to countries investing in these projects: “Your country is going to fail. And I’m really good at predicting things.”
-
When it came to the war in Gaza, Trump said next to nothing about the worsening humanitarian crisis in the region. Instead he focused on the release of the remaining Israeli hostages. “We want all 20 back. We don’t want two and four,” he said. “Unfortunately, Hamas has repeatedly rejected reasonable offers to make peace.” The president continued to disagree with the growing body of countries who have formally recognized a Palestinian state. “This would be a reward for these horrible atrocities, including October 7,” Trump said.
Trump denigrates clean energy projects and calls climate change the ‘greatest con job’
Throughout his speech, Trump has denigrated clean energy projects in various countries as fruitless and part of the “green new scam”.
He’s derided several renewable energy projects and said that climate change is “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” and means you can’t “get away from this green scam”.
He then issues a warning to countries investing in these projects: “Your country is going to fail. And I’m really good at predicting things.”
For context, investment in renewable energy has continued to increase around the world despite moves by Trump’s White House to cancel and derail low-carbon projects.
In the first half of 2025, investment globally in renewable technologies and projects reached a record $386bn, up by about 10% on the same period last year.
Investment in energy around the world is likely to hit about $3.3 trillion (£2.4tn) this year. While more than $1tn of the total is still likely to flow into fossil fuels, double that amount – about $2.2tn – is expected for low-carbon forms of energy.
In another tangent, Trump touted his move to federalize the DC police and deploy the National Guard. “My people have done a fantastic job,” he said. “Washington DC is now a totally safe city again, and I welcome you to come. In fact, we’ll have dinner together at a local restaurant, and we’ll be able to walk. We don’t have to go by an armor plated vehicle.”
In a speech that has gone well beyond his allotted time, the president said that he’s “here to tell the truth”.
“I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m in New York City,” he added.
Trump scolds migration throughout Europe
The president has launched into a fairly lengthy tirade on rates of immigration throughout Europe. He urges allies to learn from his work in America: “We’ve taken bold action to swiftly shut down uncontrolled migration. Once we started detaining and deporting everyone who crossed the border and removing illegal aliens from the United States. They simply stopped coming.”
Trump called the overall rate of immigration throughout Europe as part of the “globalist migration agenda”.
He issued a stern and stunning warning to the countries he sees as overrun by immigrants. “It’s time to end the failed experiment of open borders. You have to end it now,” he said. “Your countries are going to hell.”
Trump threatens ‘powerful tariffs’ if Russia is ‘not ready to end the war’ in Ukraine
The president has said that “in the event that Russia is not ready to make a deal to end the war, then the United States is fully prepared to impose a very strong round of powerful tariffs.”
But he scolded European allies, and said that they would “have to join” the US by “adopting the exact same measures”.
He added:
You’re much closer to the city. We have an ocean in between. You’re right there, and Europe has to step it up. They can’t be doing what they’re doing. They’re buying oil and gas from Russia.
Trump pushes for Hamas to release hostages, without mentioning humanitarian crisis in Gaza
The president said that “Hamas has repeatedly rejected reasonable offers to make peace” since the October 7 attack.
While Trump briefly acknowledged that “we have to stop the war in Gaza immediately”, he didn’t mention the worsening humanitarian crisis. “We’ve got to get the hostages back. We want all 20 back. We don’t want two and four,” Trump said.
‘It’s empty words’: Trump lambasts UN for lack of foreign policy help
The president, who hasn’t yet acknowledged the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, has begun criticizing the organization for not helping Trump with any of his foreign policy work.
Trump repeated his misleading claim that he’s “ended seven wars” since he returned to office. “The UN has such tremendous potential. I’ve always said it,” the president said. “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.”
The president then went on a tangent, denigrating the renovation of the United Nations complex.
