STORY
In a combative and wide-ranging address to the United Nations General Assembly, President Donald Trump sought to reassert his brand of “America First” foreign policy, sharply criticising multilateral institutions, immigration policies and green energy initiatives. But his performance was overshadowed by moments of uncertainty, technical issues and mounting questions about the damage done to U.S. credibility abroad for short-term political theatrics.
Trump’s speech, delivered on the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, proclaimed that the world is in crisis and accused global bodies of failing to defend national sovereignty. He called on countries to “close their borders” and expel foreigners, arguing that liberal migration policies have “devastated” nations. In a risk to the credibility of the US, he dismissed climate change as “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world,” casting doubt on decades of scientific consensus and lambasting the European Green agenda as economically destructive.
Yet the address was marred by logistical glitches. Midway through, Trump broke from his script to complain about a stalled escalator and a malfunctioning teleprompter, blaming the UN for both incidents. UN officials, however, quickly pushed back as the escalator had been triggered by a safety mechanism, and to Trump’s humiliation it transpired responsibility for the teleprompter lay with his White House team.