Donald Trump’s Big Show at the UN General Assembly

Donald Trump began his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday with a hymn to America. For a full minute, he delivered a panegyric in praise of America. He said that America had returned to world politics, was leading in every sector of modern industry, and was doing very well—better than ever before. According to Trump, two years ago it was on its knees. Now it was the most envied country in the world, producing the most sought-after goods. And all of this was expressed in vivid, solemn, grandiloquent language.

For the American president, however, the current situation is not particularly good. According to one public opinion poll by the Reuters news agency, his approval rating among the American public has once again fallen, according to the latest figures, to the lowest level of his entire political career. The culprit is America’s war with Iran, which shows no sign of ending. Gasoline prices have surged, prompting anger among Americans. They were already struggling, as inflation in the country has exceeded the central bank’s target for more than five years. All of this has come at a very inopportune time for Trump, because very important elections to the American legislature, Congress, will be held on November 3, 2026. The entire House of Representatives and a number of Senate seats will be up for election. Speaking before representatives of governments and heads of state from around the world at the traditional UN gathering, Trump offered no clear indication of what he was actually promising. He repeatedly tried to present himself as a peacemaker. In this connection, he said, “It was a tremendous honor for me to take part in resolving eight wars.” However, fact-checking shows that independent experts have repeatedly said these claims do not correspond to reality.

The American president also mentioned Ukraine in his speech. He claimed that peace between Russia and Ukraine would be signed soon, and that it would happen sooner than many people thought. Nevertheless, Trump’s diplomatic mission, which included his son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff, once again returned empty-handed after talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow in early September 2026.

Trump also promised to end the war with Iran and again threatened to cut the country off completely from the global economy. Trump is seriously considering making a very important decision. The main questions for him are: will an agreement with Iran be signed, or will the Islamic Republic be destroyed? Will the people of Iran be left in hell, with no chance of survival and no hope for the future? Such existential questions matter greatly to future generations in Iran and other countries in the region. Trump immediately added that, right after the congressional elections, he would secure a peace treaty, because Iran would have no other choice after months of intensive strikes on its territory. One can imagine what America will do after the elections. After the elections, Trump will once again have his hands untied. Regardless of the election results, Trump could launch another series of strikes on Iran without worrying about rising oil and fuel prices or a drop in his approval rating, since he will leave office in a year and a half and, as the saying goes, won’t care what happens after that. In addition, Trump has begun implementing a sanctions campaign against Iran, which he has called “economic outcasting.” Under this program, economic sanctions were imposed on Iran that, in his view, should force the regime in Tehran to make concessions.

Observers, however, believe that because the U.S. weapons arsenal is shrinking, Trump will have to be very careful to ensure that American military resources in the region do not run out. As is known, the war with Iran has already required the extensive use of air-defense missiles, and these have quickly depleted the arsenal of air-defense systems.

In his speeches at the UN headquarters, Trump repeatedly criticized international institutions. He called for the creation of his own Board of Peace, an alternative to the UN. Trump himself chairs this organization. It already includes nearly 30 countries, among them Kazakhstan, Qatar, and Uzbekistan. At the same time, he renewed his vigorous criticism of the International Criminal Court. He called the institution malevolent and demanded that all countries that are members of the court officially withdraw from this despicable organization. For the past several years, the United States has continued to exert pressure on the International Court and oppose the sanctions it imposes on America. Trump demanded that NATO members withdraw from the treaty that was signed when the International Court was established. Under the 1998 Rome Statute, which the Americans themselves have never ratified, they can nevertheless come under the International Court’s scrutiny, and it can officially prosecute them—for example, if Americans commit war crimes on the territory of a member state of the International Court.

In his speech, the American president also reaffirmed his view that concerns about the risks associated with the use of artificial intelligence are all lies, and that there are no risks or dangers from this technology. From now on, he will call the technology “superintelligence.” The word “artificial” strikes him as meaning “not real.” To justify his position, Trump added that every significant new technology in the world brings challenges with it. Continuing, Trump said that the very same people who claimed we would die in 12 years because of global warming are now saying that artificial intelligence will kill us all. Trump has repeatedly said that climate change is not happening and that no such thing exists. Trump also said that America is ahead of China in artificial intelligence, and that he will not allow anyone to stop American companies from continuing along this rapid path of progress.

Trump advises companies to be cautious, so the government has turned to the Department of Justice, which is responsible for overseeing this process.

Trump’s show in New York ended with him signing an agreement with Greenland and Denmark immediately after the UN General Assembly. The agreement is intended to resolve the conflict between the parties, which has been going on for several months. Trump had repeatedly threatened to annex Greenland to America. Over the past weekend, all three parties, to the public’s surprise, suddenly announced that the conflict had been resolved. In fact, the agreement merely expands America’s military presence in Greenland. Under both the old and new agreements, America’s adversaries are not permitted to station troops on the island, the Americans gain long-term control over security matters, and all other terms have simply been reaffirmed.

Author: Doctor of Economics, Associate Professor, Professor at the Department of World Economy and International Finance, Faculty of International Economic Relations, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Vyacheslavovich Zharikov.