Trump Takes It To The United Nations General Assembly (Part 1)

As published in Connecticut Centinal on September 24th

For those of you who missed it,

On Tuesday, one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar—Rosh Hashanah—the United Nations General Assembly convened, while the Security Council scheduled a high-stakes meeting on the Gaza war that afternoon. Absent from that meeting due to the Jewish Holidays was Israel. The timing drew criticism from Israel and Jewish leaders worldwide, including Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, who noted that scheduling such an important meeting effectively excluded observant Jews and Israeli representatives from participation while Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour addressed the Council.

This is not the first time the UN has done this. Despite a 2015 UN resolution officially recognizing Yom Kippur as a UN holiday (meant to prevent meetings on that day), the UN has repeatedly scheduled sessions and debates on Jewish holy days. By contrast, major Christian and Muslim holidays are generally respected, and no official business is scheduled. This is a long-standing pattern of disregard for Jewish observances, and reinforces the view that the UN’s institutional bias against Israel is deliberate. Yesterday’s Security Council debate on Gaza underscored that bias with the ongoing conflict.

Trump Projects U.S. Strength and Resilience at the UNGA

Despite this backdrop, Israel’s strongest ally, the United States, stood firmly behind Israel through President Trump’s General Assembly address. He projected American strength and called for:

• Peace through strength;

• Secure borders; and

• Protection of Christians from religious persecution.

Trump contrasted his current leadership with the prior Biden administration, stating:

“Since that day, the guns of war have shattered the peace I forged on two continents. An era of calm and stability gave way to one of the great crises of our time.”

President Trump described how the Biden Administration weakened U.S. credibility worldwide, and contrasted that with his renewed leadership which has enabled America to enter a “golden age” of economic vitality, energy independence, and strong borders. Trump pledged that America “stands ready” to provide nations with abundant energy, warned hostile regimes that U.S. power would be used when necessary, and reminded the UN General Assembly that his Administration is responsible for ending seven wars once deemed “unendable.”

Trump Rebuke’s the UN

Trump took the time on stage to blast the UN for its history of issuing empty resolutions and strongly written letters without enforcement, saying:

“It’s empty words and empty words don’t solve war. The only thing that solves wars is action.”

President Trump cited his achievements in ending wars and brokering the Abraham Accords, while noting he received no credit for his peace efforts:

“Everyone says I should get the Nobel Peace Prize… But for me, the real prize will be the sons and daughters who live to grow up with their mothers and fathers,” said Trump, explaining how he puts lives over prestige.

Trump Turns to Iran, Israel, and Ukraine

A major focus of the speech was Iran, Israel, and Ukraine—issues where he said the UN could play a positive role if it chose to act decisively once and for all, and if the UN members acted in concert as its current method is divisive, rewards bad behavior, and fuels conflicts, especially in Ukraine by buying Russian energy.

Iran

Trump highlighted Operation Midnight Hammer, in which seven US B-2 bombers dropped 14 massive bombs on Iran’s nuclear facilities. President Trump declared:

“No other country on earth could have done what we did… We have the greatest weapons on earth. We hate to use them, but we did something that for 22 years people wanted to do.”

This show of force allowed Trump to broker an end to the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, with both sides agreeing to halt hostilities.

Israel

Turning to Gaza, Trump demanded a ceasefire conditioned on Hamas’s rejection of terrorism. He described the devastation of October 7th, and warned that granting statehood under current conditions rewards terrorism:

“Those who want peace should be united with one message: release the hostages now. Just release the hostages now.”

Trump referenced 20 living hostages and 38 murdered captives, underscoring the pleas made to him and Senator Marco Rubio by grieving parents.

His remarks carried even more weight given that Israel’s representatives were absent from the Security Council discussions that afternoon due to Rosh Hashanah, while the Palestinians had an open floor without Israel present to provide their own account of the horrors of Hamas.

Ukraine

Trump criticized NATO and Europe for funding Russia’s war through continued energy purchases, despite sanctions:

“You’re buying oil and gas from Russia while you’re fighting Russia. Who the hell ever heard of that?”

He suggested that if diplomacy failed, US-led tariffs, coupled with equal tariffs by European allies much closer to the conflict, could end the war swiftly by stopping Russia’s funding source.

Closing Remarks

Though sharply critical of the UN’s failures (including a poorly renovated building with inferior finishes and cost overruns, along with a perhaps intentionally broken escalator and teleprompter), Trump ended on a conciliatory note to the UNGA, calling for a collective effort to build a better world:

“Let us all work together to build a bright, beautiful planet… richer, better, and more beautiful than ever before.”

Stay tune for Part 2, which will cover Trump’s remarks on biological weapons, UN-sponsored migration, the southern border, climate policy, and other issues.