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On Sept. 23, the United Nations General Assembly commenced its 80th annual meeting. The assembly gives world leaders a platform to outline their foreign policies and encourages collaboration between nations.

“It is up to us, to every single Member State, to live up to the same leadership as our predecessors … to act when action is needed, to uphold the principles of our Charter, to be better together,” General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said at the start of the assembly.

President Donald Trump’s performance at the meeting made it quite clear that he missed this memo. Instead of using the assembly as a platform for cooperation, Trump used it to push his dangerously extreme agenda in an ill-mannered way.

Upon taking the floor for his speech at the start of the assembly, Trump set the tone of his address by bragging about how well the United States is doing. He attributed this success to his presidency.

“One year ago, our country was in deep trouble, but today, just eight months into my administration, we are the hottest country anywhere in the world and there is no other country even close,” Trump said within the first minute of his speech.

The General Assembly is supposed to promote diplomacy between nations. Claiming the U.S. to be “the hottest country” in the world is absurd, and doesn’t present Trump – or the U.S. – as diplomatic or professional in the slightest.

Not only was this comment inappropriate, but it was also inaccurate. Trump based his claim on factors such as a growing economy and powerful military. He failed to take into consideration, however, the unrest occurring within our borders. Looking beyond superficial indicators, we aren’t truly in a “golden age,” as Trump claimed.

Trump views the U.S. as the best nation in the world due to its immigration policies. But whether you agree with his crackdown on border control or not, the way he discussed the topic was revolting.

“It’s time to end the failed experiment of open borders. You have to end it now. I can tell you. I’m really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell,” Trump said.

As the leader of our country, Trump continues to be an embarrassing excuse for a chief diplomat every time he gets before a microphone. Though conflict is inevitable, Trump’s habit of insulting nations he disagrees with is embarrassing, and one of the many reasons the world has begun to view the U.S. with disfavor.

Much of what Trump said at the assembly was offensive and inaccurate, based on his own bigoted beliefs. This presented him as a leader who is lost rather than in confident control, which has become a staple of his media presence.

Trump only cares for himself and those who support him. This recent tout proves we must take everything he says with a grain of salt, but it’s also just one more piece of evidence on the list.

During his 2023 campaign, Trump claimed he would resolve the Russo-Ukrainian war in as little as 24 hours.

“It’s a very easy negotiation to take place. I will have it solved within one day, a peace between them,” Trump said on the conflict.

This hasn’t happened. Trump has failed to take any real steps toward ending the conflict since the start of his second term, seeming only to engage in unproductive meetings with leaders and flip-flop on his previous stances regarding the war instead.

This period of uncertainty shows no signs of stopping after Trump’s outing at the U.N.

Following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the General Assembly, Trump has once again seemed to change his mind on the war.

Katie Crews | Design Editor

“Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form,” Trump said in a Truth Social post shortly after meeting with Zelenskyy.

This serves as a stark contrast to what Trump had been saying in past months – that Ukraine would not be able to win the war and they would need to concede to Russia. It appears Trump’s rhetoric on the Russo-Ukrainian war has changed once again, but based on the last few months, it’s unlikely his actions will follow suit.

Trump spoke for 57 minutes at the General Assembly, despite each head of state only being allocated 15. The speech failed to clarify Trump’s objective during his time in New York because he accomplished virtually nothing at all.

Amid the absolute mockery he makes of our own country and others present, we must resist the narrative that any of Trump’s actions or statements are amusing. His empty promises and outrageous comments may be funny to some, but Trump needs to be held accountable for what he says.

As Trump continues to clown around, he is tarnishing the reputation of the U.S. If his uneducated, almost satirical mindset goes unchecked, our country’s credibility will continue to spiral.

Will Chadwick is a sophomore magazine, news and digital journalism major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at wchadwic@syr.edu.

Published on September 30, 2025 at 10:21 pm