Shortly after 4 pm Swedish time, Trump stepped up to the podium during the first official day of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Apparently in a good mood about his first speech in the UN since 2017, he began by joking about alleged problems with the teleprompter.
Then he moved on to his usual offensive attitude, in a nearly hour-long speech.
"USA respected again"
Trump began by describing his previous term as a time when peace and prosperity prevailed. Then the world sank into chaos and crises, Trump continued.
USA is now respected again on the world stage, in a way that it has never been before, he claimed.
He placed great emphasis on describing himself as a peacemaker, and repeated his previous claim that he ended seven wars.
Characteristic of the speech was also his criticism of the UN. The world organization has not contributed anything to the pursuit of peace, the president claimed.
The UN has not even tried to help us.
"The purpose of the UN?"
He further accused the UN of being behind migration flows to Western countries, in what he described as "invasions", and dismissed the work against climate change as "the greatest scam of all time".
What is the actual purpose of the UN? the American president asked himself, who nonetheless admitted that the organization has untapped "potential".
Criticism of international cooperation has been a prominent theme for Trump during his second term. He has, among other things, withdrawn the USA from the World Health Organization WHO, abandoned the Paris Agreement for the second time, and drastically cut American aid.
In his opening speech, just before Trump's speech, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned against autocrats and the consequences of reduced international cooperation.
When Trump met the Secretary-General after his speech, he assured that he, despite his criticism, still stands behind the UN as an institution, reports AP.
"Reward for Hamas atrocities"
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron officially announced that Paris recognizes a Palestinian state, whereupon several other countries followed his example.
Trump criticized in general terms "unilateral recognitions" and repeated his stance:
They mean a great reward for Hamas atrocities.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, Trump admitted his failure to achieve peace.
I thought it would be the easiest war to stop because of my relationship with Putin, which has always been good. But in war, you never know what happens.
