Trump Attacks UK Government and UN at UN General Assembly

Donald Trump used his address to the UN General Assembly to criticize the UK government, specifically targeting its energy policies and PM Sir Keir Starmer's handling of North Sea oil. He claimed the UK had "given up their powerful edge" by making North Sea oil highly taxed, making it unattractive to developers and oil companies. Trump also attacked the UK's green energy policies, saying they were ruining the Scottish and English countryside with windmills and massive solar panels. He warned European nations with welcoming migration policies and expensive energy projects that their countries would fail if they didn't change course.

Trump also launched a scathing attack on the UN, saying it had "tremendous potential" but was not fulfilling it. He claimed the organisation only wrote strongly worded letters and didn't follow up, portraying the UN as an ineffectual institution. Trump touted his own foreign policy achievements, including efforts to end conflicts between Israel and Iran, India and Pakistan, Egypt and Sudan, and Armenia and Azerbaijan. He sharply warned European nations that their migration and energy policies were causing irreparable harm to their economies and cultures.

Following his speech, Trump met UN Secretary-general Antonio Guterres, telling him the US was behind the global body "100 per cent" amid fears among members that he was edging towards a full retreat.

Key Takeaways:

• Trump criticized the UK government for its energy policies, specifically targeting the highly taxed North Sea oil industry.
• He attacked the UK's green energy policies, saying they were ruining the countryside with windmills and massive solar panels.
• Trump claimed the UN had "tremendous potential" but was not fulfilling it, portraying the organisation as an ineffectual institution.
• He touted his own foreign policy achievements, including efforts to end conflicts between several countries.
• Trump warned European nations that their migration and energy policies were causing irreversible harm to their economies and cultures.
• He expressed support for the global body, telling UN Secretary-general Antonio Guterres that the US was "100 per cent" behind it.
• Trump's comments sparked a defensive response from the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, and Labour MPs, who rallied to Khan's defence.

Statistics:

• Trump claimed that European nations were being "invaded" by a force of "illegal aliens" like nobody's ever seen before.
• He said that killing has intensified and famine has been declared in parts of Gaza since the International Court of Justice issued a ruling in January 2024.
• Trump claimed that the UK government had made North Sea oil "so highly taxed that no developer, no oil company can go there".
• He said that the scale of death and destruction in Gaza were the worst in his nearly nine years as secretary-general.

Sources:

• "Trump attacks UK government and UN at UN General Assembly" (The Guardian)
• "Trump says US is '100 per cent' behind UN as he meets Secretary-General" (BBC News)
• "Guterres warns world leaders to choose peace over war at UN General Assembly" (The New York Times)
• "Trump claims UK has 'given up' North Sea oil advantage" (Sky News)