New York – United States President Donald Trump went off-script during his address to the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York yesterday, delivering a wide-ranging speech that veered into tangents, sharp criticisms, and threats directed at both international bodies and criminal networks.
Trump spoke well beyond the allotted 15-minute slot, taking swipes at renewable energy, migration policies, and the UN itself. He claimed renewable energy was a “scam” and more costly than fossil fuels, despite studies showing solar and wind power have reduced electricity costs in the US. He mocked climate policies, making jokes about cows, and accused Asian countries of dumping garbage into the ocean.
On security, Trump announced a stepped-up counter-cartel mission in Latin America, where he said the US military is targeting networks linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He warned drug cartels and traffickers that “we will blow you out of existence,” citing recent strikes that killed alleged gang members in the Caribbean and destroyed suspected trafficking vessels.
The US leader accused the UN of contributing to what he described as an “uncontrolled migration crisis.” He charged that the organisation was funding programmes that provided food, shelter, transport, and debit cards for people he called “illegal aliens.” Trump argued that instead of solving problems, the UN was creating them and undermining national sovereignty.
Delegates reacted with muted responses, some laughing briefly when Trump recounted a backstage encounter with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
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