The 37-minute address on September 22 became a sweeping defence of Trump’s foreign-policy approach and his vision of American power.
Iran dominated the speech.
Trump defended the US-Israeli military campaign against Tehran, saying Washington had acted to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He called for countries to join the US in imposing “complete economic isolation” on Iran.
Then came his starkest warning: Trump said he was weighing whether to strike a deal with Iran or “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if no agreement is reached. At the same time, he predicted that a deal could be reached after the November 3 US midterm elections.
Trump later said US representatives had held what he described as a productive meeting involving Iranian mediators, though he clarified that the meeting was not directly with Iranian officials.
Trump also turned to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
His message to Russian President Vladimir Putin was blunt: “Settle the war.”
Trump said he believed the conflict could be resolved more quickly than many expected and said the US was working with both Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
The comments came as Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a packed schedule of UN meetings.
Gaza was also part of the wider Middle East picture surrounding the speech.
Trump’s UN appearance came as the conflict in the region continued to dominate international diplomacy, with the Iran war adding another layer to an already volatile Middle East. His broader foreign-policy message focused on confronting threats rather than allowing them to “fester.”
Trump defended US intervention in Venezuela as a success.
He presented Washington’s actions against the Venezuelan government as proof that the United States would use its military power to protect what he described as vital American interests in the Western Hemisphere.
Trump was also scheduled to meet Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodríguez during his UN meetings.
Trump took an equally hard line on Cuba.
He described Cuba as a “failed state” and said that communism would not come to the United States while “freedom” would come to Cuba.
Members of the Cuban UN delegation walked out during his remarks.
Trump also focused on drug trafficking and organised crime.
He said the US was intensifying its campaign against cartels, comparing them with ISIS and arguing that those designated as terrorist organisations should face detention, exile or lethal force.
He separately described Mexico as an epicentre of regional cartel violence.
Greenland remained part of Trump’s foreign-policy agenda.
His administration has pushed for greater US control over or involvement with Greenland, despite the territory being part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
On Tuesday, Trump, Danish and Greenlandic leaders were involved in a new security agreement, with Trump saying the US would build two major military bases under the arrangement.
Then came technology.
Trump rejected concerns over excessive regulation of artificial intelligence and said his administration would use the term “super intelligence” rather than simply artificial intelligence.
He argued that the US was already far ahead of China and other countries and said he would not “stifle” the growth of a technology he compared in importance to the Industrial Revolution. He also dismissed some AI safety warnings as a hoax.
Trump also attacked the International Criminal Court, urging member states to withdraw from the institution.
He described the ICC as an institution that had become “out of control” and criticised its treatment of US military personnel, while calling for countries to leave the court.
Trump did not spare the organisation hosting his speech.
He praised what he described as sweeping reforms under his administration, including cuts to the UN budget and staff.
At the same time, he criticised what he called the UN’s “globalist” agenda and argued that the organisation should reduce bureaucracy and spending.
His message was essentially: the UN has potential — but Washington wants it to operate differently.
From Tehran to Kyiv, Caracas to Havana, Greenland to artificial intelligence, Trump’s UNGA address covered almost every major front of his foreign-policy agenda.
It was not simply a speech about the UN.
It was a statement about how Trump sees American power — military, economic and technological — and how he intends to use it.
And perhaps the sharpest line of the entire address came on Iran:
A deal, according to Trump, or “annihilation.”
