Overview

• In a 57‑minute General Assembly address, the president dismissed the climate crisis as a “con job” and accused the UN of “funding an assault on western countries and their borders.”
• He opened by warning the teleprompter operator of “very big trouble,” drawing nervous laughter from delegates, and he exceeded his allotted time by 42 minutes.
• Some leaders offered brief applause and posed for selfies at the end, despite the combative tone and breaches of diplomatic decorum reported in the hall.
• The remarks followed a formal U.S. policy that rejects and denounces the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, characterizing the SDGs as incompatible with U.S. sovereignty.
• Commentary framed the speech and policy stance as a further retreat from multilateral cooperation and a turn toward exclusionary nationalism during a period of active global conflicts.