Trump Says He’s ‘Right About Everything’ — But Offers No Plan for a World on Edge-groot - US NEWS

President Donald Trump gestures following his address to the 80th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump raises his hand after addressing the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

New York — Standing at the podium of the United Nations General Assembly, a place where US presidents have historically sought to inspire allies and reassure the world, Donald Trump offered a very different kind of speech. Instead of steadying words about democracy or the value of international cooperation, Trump doubled down on grievances, nostalgia, and self-congratulation — even as the globe faces some of the most dangerous tensions since the Cold War.

From Eastern Europe, where Poland has threatened to shoot down Russian aircraft, to the Middle East, where Gaza and the West Bank are on edge, and back to the United States, where inflation is stirring again, the world stage is riddled with crises. Yet Trump, in his first UNGA speech of his second term, spent much of his time mocking escalators, complaining about the UN’s building materials, and insisting that “I’m really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell.”

The speech, which ran well past time limits, was classic Trump — sprawling, erratic, and punctuated with anecdotes that veered far from pressing global issues.

He recounted with frustration how an escalator at UN headquarters once stopped while he was riding it, recalling his earlier offer to renovate the Turtle Bay complex with “marble floors” rather than “terrazzo.”
On climate change, he delivered a muddled monologue about borders, atmospheric shapes, and Chinese pollution “blowing over,” before warning of a supposed plot by environmentalists to “kill all the cows.”
Britain, which only last week welcomed him with royal pomp, was publicly rebuked. Trump falsely claimed London wanted to adopt sharia law and slammed Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s energy policies, despite the UK’s attempts to woo him.
And, as in previous years, Trump made a fresh plea for a Nobel Peace Prize, arguing that he had ended multiple wars — though many of the conflicts he cited had already wound down before US involvement.

“All I got from the United Nations,” he quipped bitterly, “was an escalator that stopped halfway up. If the first lady wasn’t in such great shape, she would have fallen. But she’s in great shape. We’re both in good shape.”

President Donald Trump delivers remarks to the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on Tuesday.

Allies left guessing

For foreign diplomats, the speech was less an articulation of strategy than a window into Trump’s unfiltered worldview. European chancelleries are now left to parse his bluster from his policy. The challenge is not new — allies have long learned to separate his showmanship from his actual decisions — but Tuesday’s speech underscored how unpredictable he remains.

On Ukraine, for example, Trump offered little direction from the podium. But later, pressed by reporters, he said NATO should shoot down Russian planes entering its airspace — only to quickly walk back the remark, saying it would “depend on circumstances.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio later clarified that US jets would not engage Russian aircraft.

Trump also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the assembly. In a sharp contrast to his stage performance, he posted afterward on Truth Social that Ukraine “can win the war” and even reclaim all its lost territory, calling Russia a “paper tiger.” He promised to support NATO in supplying weapons to Kyiv, a message welcomed in European capitals desperate for reassurance. Yet few take such pledges at face value, knowing that Trump’s positions can shift with little warning.

A United Nations under fire

Beyond the policy confusion, Trump’s broader message was clear: disdain for the UN itself. “What is the purpose of the United Nations?” he asked rhetorically, dismissing the institution that Washington helped create in 1945 as ineffective and unworthy of support. His administration has already signaled it will continue to bypass the body, with unilateral military actions such as the threat to sink alleged cartel boats off Venezuela — without proof, UN authorization, or congressional approval.

To many foreign observers, Trump’s remarks reinforced the perception that the United States is now less a champion of global order than a disruptive force. His praise for Europe’s people was undercut by dire warnings about immigration and renewable energy, painting liberal governments as architects of their own destruction. “This double-tailed monster destroys everything in its wake,” he said of green policies and immigration. “You want to be nice, you want to be politically correct, and you’re destroying your heritage.”

President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky at the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly on Tuesday in New York City.

The longer view

For allied governments, the speech offered little reassurance and much alarm. Eight months into his second term, many leaders have resorted to flattering Trump to keep him onside. But as his UNGA address made clear, the next three years will not be about cultivating his goodwill — they will be about containing his impulses.

“They actually had a hat, during the campaign, the best-selling hat,” Trump told the assembly in a final flourish. “‘Trump was right about everything.’ And I don’t say that in a braggadocious way. But it’s true. I’ve been right about everything.”

It was not the kind of message that once defined US leadership at the UN — but it was a vivid portrait of where Trump’s America now stands.