• Calls climate change a ‘con job’, terms renewable energy ‘a joke’
• Boasts of stopping ‘seven wars’; questions the need for a global watchdog
• Criticises European immigration policies, offers his own crackdown on immigrants as a model to follow
• Jokingly complains about malfunctioning escalators, teleprompters

UNITED NATIONS: In a combative, wide-ranging speech before UN General Assembly on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump railed against climate change, and told world leaders their countries were “going to hell” because of their immigration policies.

The 56-minute speech was a rebuke to the world body and a return to form for Trump, who routinely bashed the UN during his first term as president.

Trump, who has cast himself as a peacemaker in a bid to win the Nobel Peace Prize, complained that the United Nations did not support his efforts to end conflicts around the world.

“I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of each and every one of these countries, and never even received a phone call from the United Nations offering to help,” he said.

“What is the purpose of the United Nations? The UN has such tremendous potential … but it’s not even coming close to living up to that 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. The only thing that solves war and wars is action,” he said.

However, in a meeting with the UN chief after his speech, Trump struck a softer note, saying: “Our country is behind the United Nations 100pc… I may disagree with it sometimes, but I am so behind it”.

In a moment of levity, Trump jokingly complained that a UN escalator had abruptly stopped as he and First Lady Melania Trump were halfway up and then the teleprompter in the General Assembly did not work.

“I can only say that whoever’s operating this teleprompter is in big trouble,” he said. These are the two things I got from the United Nations a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter.” a UN official said the White House operated the teleprompter.

After Trump finished speaking, UNGA President Annalena Baer­bock said: “The UN telep­r­o­mpters are working perfectly.”

‘Pet’ topics

But much of his speech was dominated by two of his biggest grievances: climate change and immigration.

President Trump called climate change a “con job” and urged a return to a greater reliance on fossil fuels as he mocked renewables as a “joke”.

The “carbon footprint is a hoax made up by people with evil intentions, and they’re heading down a path of total destruction,” he insisted.

“We’re getting rid of the falsely named renewables, by the way, they’re a joke, they don’t work, they’re too expensive,” he said at another point, calling wind technology “so pathetic, so bad,” and boasted that he had instead “unleashed” massive efforts to drill for new oil, gas and coal reserves. “Immigration and their suicidal energy ideas will be the death of Western Europe,” he said. Trump also offered his US immigration crackdown as a case study for what other world leaders should do to curb mass migration he says is altering the fabric of nations.

He also mocked Nato allies for not shutting down purchases of Russian oil.

“They’re funding the war against themselves. Who the hell ever heard of that one? 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,” he said. Scientists and world leaders reacted sharply to the US president’s barbs.

“President Trump and his administration continue to spew lies and disinformation about climate science and the overwhelming benefits of clean energy, a grave disservice to the American people,” said Rachel Cleetus of the Union of Conc­erned Scientists.

“Climate change is here, it’s costly, and people need real solutions, not propaganda designed to boost the profits of fossil fuel polluters,” she argued.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2025