Trump Blasts UN for Not Helping US-Led Peace Efforts, but Backs It 100%
US President Donald Trump slammed the United Nations on Tuesday for failing to support American-led peace efforts, but then reassured UN chief Antonio Guterres that the United States “100%” backs the world body.
“I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of each and every one of these countries, and never even received a phone call from the United Nations offering to help,” Trump told the 193-member General Assembly, repeating disputed claims about his role as a global peacemaker. “The United Nations wasn’t there for us.”
Trump’s remarks reflect his long-standing wariness of multilateral institutions, particularly the United Nations. He has repeatedly questioned the effectiveness, cost and accountability of international bodies, arguing they often fail to serve US interests.
“What is the purpose of the United Nations? The UN has such tremendous potential … but it’s not even coming close to living up to that potential,” Trump said in a nearly hour-long speech to the annual gathering of world leaders in New York.
“All they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up. It’s empty words, and empty words don’t solve war. The only thing that solves war and wars is action,” he said.
After his speech, Trump met with Guterres for the first time since returning to office in January.
“Our country is behind the United Nations 100%,” Trump told Guterres. “I may disagree with it sometimes, but I am so behind it, because I think the potential for peace with this institution is so great.”
Guterres told him the UN was “entirely at your disposal to be able to work together for a just peace.”
