'Boring the members to death': Critics blast Trump’s long-winded UN ramble
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reacts while listening to U.S. President Donald Trump's (not pictured) speech at the 80th United Nations General Assembly, in New York City, New York, U.S., September 23, 2025. REUTERS/Al Drago
Some critics on social media groaned at President Donald Trump’s meandering list of “lies” at the U.N. General Assembly today.
Trump castigated other U.N. members near the onset of his speech, after announcing to the delegation that his teleprompter was down. The New York Times reported the president went off script and “well beyond the allotted time — not that anyone will enforce limits when the president of the United States comes to speak in the well of the United Nations.”
Trump called climate change the “greatest con job” ever perpetrated on the world, despite glaciers vanishing from the U.S.’ Glacier National Park, and an established record warming trend across America aggravating drought and wildfires.
“I’m really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell,” Trump insisted, with CNN cameras catching a stream of sleepy looks, phone conversations and stifled yawns.
Watchers on social media offered a list of reactions, many of them digital face-to-palm slaps, including one X user who posted: “What an absolute embarrassment.”
“Oh my word, Trump is having a mental breakdown at the UN live on TV in front of millions,” stated another critic. “I am speechless. The world is watching a series of bad jokes and a tsunami of lies. Cringe is not the word. It’s utterly embarrassing. I am so sorry for my friends across the pond I feel so sorry that this idiot is causing the world to laugh at you.”
More directly, social media was outraged at the "lies."
“In an unbelievable moment, Trump tells the UN General Assembly that the U.S. has taken in $17 trillion dollars in just a few months. Since the US GDP is *only* $29 trillion, that is a lie,” posted one grassroots political organizer. “No facts were used in the creation of his speech,” posted one commenter.”
“In Trump's speech to the UN he is talking about how the audience respects him so much, which is definitely something you do when you are actually respected,” posted conservative commenter and regular Trump critic Tim Miller.
“King Donny is addressing the UN. With a lie filled speech. Boring the members to death. Low energy and very negative,” said still another commenter.
