U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 23, 2025. REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR
On Tuesday, September 23, U.S. President Donald Trump gave a rambling speech before the United Nations General Assembly. And at times, he was vehemently critical of the UN for a variety of reasons, from their immigration policies to green energy.
Here are six of the wildest moments from Trump's UN speech.
1. Trump claimed that 'inflation has been defeated'
Trump aggressively attacked then-President Joe Biden and then-Vice President Kamala Harris on inflation during the United States' 2024 election. But during his UN speech eight months into his second presidency, Trump claimed that "inflation has been defeated" in the U.S. Many economists, however, are warning that Trump's steep new tariffs will cause much worse inflation than what the U.S. experienced during the Biden Administration.
2. Trump slammed UN for not living up to its potential
Trump told UN officials, "All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that stopped in the middle…. Those are the things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter…. The United Nations has tremendous, tremendous potential…. But it's not even coming close to that potential."
3. Trump attacked UN members for immigration policies
During his speech, Trump was highly critical of Biden's immigration policies, saying, "We were the laughing stock all over the world." But he also attacked UN members for their immigration policies and declared, "Immigration is destroying your country, and you have to do something about it…. Your countries are being ruined…. The UN is supposed to stop invasions, not create them…. Europe is in serious trouble. They've been invaded by a force of illegal aliens like no one has ever seen before…. Your countries are going to hell."
Trump also claimed European countries are in danger from Islamist "Shariah law," attacking London for having a "terrible, terrible mayor."
4. Trump insisted he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize
Trump told UN officials, "Everyone says I deserve the Nobel Peace Prize….. We've saved millions and millions of lives…. I'm going to give you the best of everything."
5. Trump chastised EU members for not imposing more tariffs
Trump promoted his trade policies during his UN speech, attacking European countries for having similar trade policies. The U.S. president told UN officials, "Join us in adopting the exact same measures…. Europe has to step it up…. They're buying oil and gas from Russia while they're fighting Russia…. Cease all energy purchases from Russia."
6. Trump ripped European countries for not using more fossil fuels
Trump expressed his disdain for green energy and "the global warming hoax," telling UN members, "Those windmills are so big and so bad…. Many European countries are on the brink of destruction because of the green agenda…. This is a disaster."
Trump praised "clean, beautiful coal" and denied the reality of climate change, claiming, "It's the greatest con job every perpetrated on the world, in my opinion…. If you don't get away from the green energy scam, your country is going to fail."