Trump slams green policies and migration in his UN speech, and congratulates himself

In a lengthy speech to the United Nations on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump primarily celebrated himself while also fiercely criticizing green policies, migration, and political correctness. Europe and the UN itself came under particular fire.

"Immigration and greening are destroying the free world," he said. The UN, Trump claimed, "is funding an attack on the borders of Western countries" by encouraging migration. Migration and life-threatening energy views "are the death knell for Western Europe."

He called on countries to follow his example and close their borders. "It's time to end the failed experiment of open borders."

He called climate change a scam. And he criticized the United Kingdom for allegedly not extracting enough oil from the North Sea. Wind energy also came under fire. The turbines often come from China, which, Trump claimed, doesn't generate wind power itself. China, in fact, is considered one of the leaders in wind energy.

Teleprompter

Trump began his speech relaxed and humorously. When he took the podium in the main hall of the General Assembly, the teleprompter wasn't working. "Whoever's operating the teleprompter today has a big problem," he said. To stall for time, he briefly greeted the First Lady before launching into a 56-minute rant. His speech was full of exaggerations and false claims. For example, he said that environmental activists want to kill cows.

He opened with a long, self-congratulatory speech. He called the US the "hottest country" in the world. No other country even comes close. This, Trump said, is America's Golden Age. Energy prices have fallen, grocery prices have fallen, mortgages are cheaper, inflation has been conquered. Only the stock market and wages are rising.

The list of his achievements was long. NATO countries increased their defense spending. Many trade agreements were concluded. Trump was particularly proud of his role as a peacemaker. "I ended seven wars, and I did it in just seven months."

I ended seven wars and I did it in just seven months

He mentioned the conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, India and Pakistan, Israel and Iran, Cambodia and Thailand, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Kosovo and Serbia. Trump's claims are dubious in several cases. For example, Egypt and Ethiopia were not at war, but they are engaged in a heated dispute over a dam Ethiopia built on the Nile . India denies that Trump has ended the confrontation with Pakistan.

It was, Trump said, a shame I had to take this on and that the UN didn't. In fact, he said, the UN didn't even help. He didn't even get a phone call from the UN. What he did get? An escalator that stopped mid-air on Tuesday and nearly knocked Melania to her death. According to Trump, the UN is only good for empty words, but empty words don't end wars.

Marble and mahogany

Trump is also still angry at the UN because, before he became president, he lost a contract to renovate it. Had they listened to him, it would have been much cheaper and much nicer. He would have built with marble and mahogany, not plastic and granite.

Besides personal frustrations, Trump also addressed the major conflicts. He called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and criticized countries that have recognized Palestine as a state. "Some here want to recognize the Palestinian state. The reward for Hamas's terror and violence is too great."

He said he was surprised that ending Putin's war in Ukraine was proving so difficult, having known Putin for a long time. He reiterated his willingness to punish countries that buy oil and gas from Russia, such as India and China, with high tariffs, but only if European countries also join in. He said he had only recently discovered that Europe still imports fossil fuels from Russia. "Think about it: they're financing the war against themselves. Who comes up with something like that?"

Europe wants the US to exert more pressure on Russia, but demanding high tariffs on China, India, and Turkey is not an option for Europe. There is a suspicion that Trump is making impossible demands to avoid a hardline approach to Russia himself.