Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.

President Donald Trump has criticized the United Nations, accusing the organization of enabling mass illegal migration, undermining national sovereignty, and failing to resolve global conflicts.

Getting into it: During an address to the General Assembly, President Trump went after the UN, claiming it has not only failed in its mission but has actively contributed to the destabilization of Western countries. He accused the body of“funding an assault on Western countries and their borders,” citing its $372 million budget allocation to support over 600,000 migrants traveling to the United States. “The UN is supporting people who are illegally coming into the United States,” Trump said. “It’s time to end the failed experiment of open borders … Your countries are going to hell.”

Trump didn’t hold back in characterizing the UN as an ineffective and morally compromised institution. He labeled it “feckless, corrupt, and pernicious,” and suggested that it serves globalist interests rather than the sovereignty of individual nations. “Not only is the UN not solving the problems it should, too often it’s actually creating new problems for us to solve,” he said. He portrayed the UN as out of touch and incapable of meaningful action, especially in addressing migration and international conflict.

Calling into question the relevance of the organization itself, Trump openly wondered whether the UN serves any purpose in today’s geopolitical landscape. “What is the purpose of the United Nations?” he asked, pointing out that the body didn’t assist in resolving any of the seven conflicts he claimed to have ended. “It’s too bad I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them and, sadly, in all cases, the United Nations didn’t even try to help.”

He ridiculed the UN’s responses to crises, saying, “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.” Trump implied that the organization’s inaction and lack of enforcement have made it irrelevant on the world stage. He emphasized that only “action” solves wars, not statements or diplomatic formalities.

On climate policy, Trump condemned the UN’s environmental initiatives, calling them part of a “green energy agenda” that has driven countries to economic ruin. He dismissed climate change as “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world,” accusing the UN and its allies of pushing false predictions and harmful energy transitions. “Your countries are being ruined,” he said, “by polluting countries that break the rules and are making a fortune.” Trump argued that the push for renewable energy is destroying manufacturing in industrialized nations and must be reversed.

This comes as Trump is set to meet later with UN Secretary General António Guterres.