Updated September 23, 2025 at 1:53 PM CDT
President Trump warned world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly of "uncontrolled migration" and accused the U.N. of contributing to the problem.
"The U.N. has such tremendous potential. I've always said it. It has such tremendous, tremendous potential, but it's not even coming close to living up to that potential," Trump said.
In his remarks in New York, Trump also repeated his assertion that the U.S. has entered a "golden age" and discussed the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
Trump is finding himself increasingly isolated at the U.N., where there is a growing push to recognize a Palestinian state.
Trump said those efforts, notably by the U.K., France and Canada, among others, were a mistake.
"The rewards would be too great for Hamas terrorists for their atrocities. This would be a reward for these horrible atrocities," he said, in line with Israel's position.
Ahead of Trump, the U.N. Secretary General António Guterres kicked off the General Assembly Tuesday by saying that nothing can justify the Oct. 7 attacks.
He added, "Nothing can justify collective punishment of the Palestinian people or any form of ethnic cleansing. I call once again for a ceasefire, the release of hostages and unhindered humanitarian access."
Trump plans to hold meetings later in the day with leaders of the Middle East to discuss Gaza.
He will also keep his attention on the conflict in Ukraine. Trump said in his speech that he will be putting pressure on European leaders to stop buying oil from Russia as punishment for its ongoing assault on Ukraine.
"They're funding the war against themselves," he said. "Who the hell ever heard of that one?"
Trump has increasingly criticized NATO for expecting the U.S. to pressure Russia directly when they could do more themselves.
Meanwhile, Russia has been testing European leaders and the alliance with recent incursions into NATO airspace. Trump said he thinks NATO members should shoot down Russian aircraft in such cases. "Yes, I do," he said in answer to a question from a reporter.
Asked whether he would back up NATO allies if that happened, Trump said: "Depends on the circumstance, but you know we're very strong toward NATO."
The questions came as Trump was meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
Trump praised Zelenskyy, calling him a "great man" whose country was putting up "one hell of a fight." He said the Russian economy was "crashing."
Zelenskyy said he was hoping to see more sanctions on Russia, and said he supported Trump's push to get NATO members to stop buying Russian energy.
Beyond the international headlines of the gathering, Trump spoke at length about immigration and the dangers he believes it poses. He pointed fingers at the United Nations — of which he's long been a critic — directly on the topic.
"The United Nations is funding an assault on Western countries and their borders," he said.
Trump accused the U.N. of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to support migrants traveling to the U.S., including providing them shelter and transportation.
"You're doing it because you want to be nice, you want to be politically correct and you're destroying your heritage," Trump said of Europe.
Despite his criticism, Trump met with the secretary general after his speech and vowed, "Our country is behind the United Nations 100%."
"I may disagree with it sometimes, but I am so behind it," Trump said.
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