U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the United Nations on Tuesday to boast of his second-term foreign policy achievements and lash out at the world body as a feckless institution, while warning Europe it would be ruined if it doesn’t turn away from a “double-tailed monster” of ill-conceived migration and green energy policies. Later, in a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Trump’s tone toward the United Nations shifted after his speech earlier in the day blasted the world body for issuing “empty words.” “Our country is behind the United Nations 100 per cent,” Trump told Guterres. “I may disagree with it sometimes but I am so behind it because the potential for peace at this institution is great.” World leaders were listening closely to his remarks at the UN General Assembly as Trump has already moved quickly to diminish U.S. support for the world body in his first eight months in office. After his latest inauguration, he issued a first-day executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the World Health Organization. That was followed by his move to end U.S. participation in the UN Human Rights Council, and ordering up a review of U.S. membership in hundreds of intergovernmental organizations aimed at determining whether they align with the priorities of his “America First” agenda. Here’s the latest: Trump says wars wouldn’t happen if UN did its job Trump, who complained about the UN in his speech, was asked about changes he’d like to see. He said the global institution could do more to keep the peace. “I mean, we shouldn’t have any wars if the UN is really doing its job,” Trump said alongside Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission. “I know they were involved originally with Russia, Ukraine, and that didn’t get done because that was the time to stop it,” he said. Trump also complimented von der Leyen as a “very powerful, very smart woman and a friend of mine.” He added, “She does a fantastic job running lots of different nations.” Trump says Javier Milei has his `full backing and endorsement’ President Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave libertarian Argentinian President Javier Milei their “full backing and endorsement” Tuesday, and discussed how to bolster Argentina’s economy in the midst of severe volatility in the country’s financial markets. Argentina heads into crucial congressional midterms at the end of October. “We’re going to help them, I don’t think they need a bailout,” Trump told reporters, adding that “Scott is working with their country so that they can get good debt and all of the things that you need to make Argentina great again.” Bessent on Monday said on the social media site X that “all options for stabilization are on the table” for the U.S.’ support for Argentina. Options being contemplated include purchasing Argentina’s currency or sovereign debt by a fund controlled by the U.S. Treasury, called Treasury’s Exchange Stabilization Fund, Bessent said. The meeting between the U.S. and Argentinian leaders came after Trump’s nearly hour-long speech at the UN General Assembly in New York. Trump got a taste of UN dysfunction with the stopped escalator episode Staff and visitors to United Nations institutions know the issue: In recent months, UN offices in New York and Geneva have intermittently turned off elevators and escalators as part of steps to save money because of a “liquidity crisis” at the world body. That’s due in part to delays in funding from the United States, which is the top donor of the world body. In his speech to the UN General Assembly, Trump broke from his prepared remarks to bemoan the inoperable escalator and a defective teleprompter and say he’s never gotten much from the United Nations, despite its potential. “All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle,” he mused, chopping the air with his hand. A UN official said the United Nations understands that someone from the president’s party who ran ahead of him inadvertently triggered the stop mechanism on the escalator. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the White House was operating the teleprompter for the president. Jamey Keaten and Edith Lederer Trump says he had ‘excellent chemistry’ with Brazil’s Lula Trump described having a pleasant exchange with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in his speech at the UN, amid strained relations between the two countries. Trump was about to take the floor at the United Nations General Assembly when he bumped into Lula who had finished his speech and was walking off. “We had a good talk, and we agreed to meet next week,” Trump said. “He seemed like a very nice man, actually. He liked me. I liked him,” he said, before adding: “at least for about 39 seconds we had excellent chemistry, it’s a good sign.” A Brazilian official told The Associated Press that the presidents greeted each other warmly. Trump said they needed to talk, and offered to do it next week. Lula replied he was open to it, though he is expected to return to Brazil on Wednesday. The official spoke under condition of anonymity for they did not have authorization to discuss the matter with journalists. Relations between Brazil and U.S. have been strained since Trump ordered the 50% tariff on Brazil in July. He cited among other reasons the trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro which he called a “witch hunt.” On Sept. 11, a panel of Supreme Court justices sentenced Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison for attempting a coup. On Monday the U.S. retaliated by imposing additional sanctions. Trump tells UN chief U.S. is behind global body ‘100%’ after fears of American retreat In a bilateral meeting Tuesday with the top U.N. official, Trump’s tone toward the United Nations shifted after his speech earlier in the day blasted the world body for issuing “empty words.”The Republican president met with U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres after his speech before the General Assembly. “Our country is behind the United Nations 100%,” Trump told Guterres. “I may disagree with it sometimes but I am so behind it because the potential for peace at this institution is great.” Justice Department chief of staff is stepping down Chad Mizelle is planning to leave the Justice Department after serving nine months as the top adviser for Attorney General Pam Bondi. The department hasn’t said who’ll replace Mizelle, who served as general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security under the first Trump administration. Bondi in a statement said Mizelle “served this Department with professionalism, sound judgement and dedication.” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Mizelle “played a key role in advancing the President’s America First agenda here at the Department, and his efforts strengthened our mission to protect the American people.” Democratic secretaries of state say they’ll band together to oppose voter data request Democratic secretaries of state for Michigan and Nevada said in a Tuesday news conference that they and other secretaries will coordinate to oppose a wide-ranging federal request for voter data. The Justice Department earlier this month announced it has sued Oregon and Maine for failing to turn over their voter registration lists. That was the first time it brought lawsuits against states in its effort to get detailed voter data. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar made their comments at a news conference organized by the group States United. They said it’s unclear why the federal government wants the data because it hasn’t provided justification for it. “There’s nothing there for them to find, but there’s plenty they can do badly with the information, with citizens’ private information,” Benson said, adding the government could “potentially use it to hurt our democracy and election systems.” Schumer says Trump `is running away from the negotiating table’ after Trump cancels meeting Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is keeping the door open to talks with President Trump after Trump cancelled a meeting with Democratic leaders that was scheduled for later in the week. In a long post on his social media site Tuesday, Trump said the Democrats’ demands on health care in exchange for their votes to keep the government open next week were “unserious” and “ridiculous.” Trump said “no meeting could possibly be productive.” In a post on X directed to Trump, Schumer said Democrats will sit down and discuss health care “when you’re finished ranting.” In a separate statement, Schumer said Trump “is running away from the negotiating table before he even gets there” and that he would “rather throw a tantrum than do his job.” Trump wraps his UN speech to muted applause but no noticeable snub The president concluded in just under an hour, trying to end on an optimistic note after an address that was mostly negative and confrontational. “Let us all work together to build a bright, beautiful planet,” Trump said. He added: “We’re gonna take care of our people. Thank you very much. It’s been an honor. God bless the nations of the world.” The reaction from delegates was muted applause that was more polite than rousing. Trump also, however, was not audibly booed or otherwise shunned -- despite spending large parts of his comments lecturing the global community on immigration policy, climate change response and other key issues. Trump says he’ll meet Brazil’s Lula next week despite tensions Trump says he and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio da Silva have agreed to meet next week as tensions between their countries have spiked in recent months under heavy Trump administration criticism. Speaking to world leaders a the UN General Assembly, Trump said he and Lula spoke briefly as they passed each other walking to and from the speaker’s podium. “I saw him, he saw me and we embraced,” Trump said after criticizing Brazil for its tariffs on U.S. goods and its prosecution of Trump friend, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. “We actually agreed that we would meet next week.” There were no immediate details of the date or venue for the meeting. Trump has imposed major retaliatory tariffs on Brazil and has also hit some Brazilian officials with sanctions. Trump uses UN speech to defend his tariffs The U.S. president said his administration is using import taxes as “a defense mechanism,” saying tariffs will ensure that other nations follow global rules on trade. Trump declared an emergency under a 1977 law to impose sweeping tariffs on most of the countries on the planet. His argument was that the import taxes were needed because of a persistent trade imbalance, even though the tariffs also applied to nations with which America has run a surplus. But the president also stressed in his speech that he wants the revenues generated by tariffs, even though a large portion of that cost is covered by American businesses and consumers who face higher prices. Trump said inflation in the U.S. is low, even though several measures are running above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. The consumer price index increased in August at 2.9% over the past year, up from 2.3% in April when Trump began to impose the broad tariffs. Trump warns Europe immigration is ‘destroying your heritage’ Trump called immigration and policies confronting climate change a “double-tailed monster” that’s ruining Europe. His rhetoric was especially harsh on what he called “the unmitigated immigration disaster.” Here’s what he said: “If you don’t stop people that you’ve never seen before, that you have nothing in common with, your country is going to fail. I’m the president of the United States, but I worry about Europe. I love Europe, I love the people of Europe. And I hate to see it being devastated by energy and immigration, that double-tailed monster that destroys everything in its wake.” Then he directly addressed European leaders: “You’re doing it because you want to be nice. You want to be politically correct, and you’re destroying your heritage.” The president scoffed at past predictions on climate change Trump urged European countries to abandon green energy initiatives, scoffing that, in decades past, some experts predicted that by the year 2000 “climate change will cause a global catastrophe.” He said scientists predicted some nations might be “wiped off the map” by now, but insisted that’s “not happening.” Actually, climate change has indeed triggered rising sea levels and intensifying storms that have caused small island nations to shrink. Such phenomenon has also cost enormous sums of money for disaster response, cleanup and rebuilding in the U.S. and around the world. Nonetheless, Trump insisted it was “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world in my opinion.” He said “all of these predictions were wrong” and “made by stupid people,” adding, “If you don’t get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail.” Trump invites world leaders to have dinner in a `totally safe’ Washington Trump shifted to talking about crime overall and specifically his crackdown in the U.S. capital, asserting that the city is “a totally safe city” after he flooded the streets with National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officers. “I welcome you to come,” Trump said. “In fact, we’ll have dinner together at a local restaurant and we’ll be able to walk. We don’t have to go by an armored plated vehicle.” Trump went to dinner earlier this month at a seafood restaurant a few blocks from the White House to show it was safe even for him to venture out. He rode over in his armored limousine. Trump points to U.S. boat bombing and warns drug traffickers of more Trump is unapologetic about authorizing the bombing of two boats U.S. officials said were carrying drugs, despite bipartisan criticism that the U.S. military actions violated the law. “Let’s put it this way: People don’t like to take big loads of drugs in boats anymore,” he said, promising more attacks if he deems it necessary. “Please be warned that we will blow you out of existence,” he said after the two attacks that U.S. officials said killed 14 people. Many Democrats and some Republicans have questioned Trump’s policy as a potential overreach of executive authority in part because the military was used for law enforcement purposes. Trump lectures world on immigration policy “It’s time to end the failed experiment of open borders. You have to end it now. I can tell you, I’m really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell,” Trump proclaimed. It was a lot of bravado on the world stage at the United Nations General Assembly -- even for a leader who’s built his political career on public boasts. Trump has launched a crackdown along the U.S.-Mexico border and pushed hardline domestic immigration policies. “Once we started detaining and deporting everyone who crossed the border -- and removing illegal aliens from the United States -- they simply stopped coming,” he said. The president called his efforts a “humanitarian act,” arguing that it saved people who might have otherwise died trying to cross the U.S. border illegally. Trump accuses the UN of `funding an assault’ on Western countries’ borders Trump said the best example is “the number one political issue of our time, the crisis of uncontrolled migration.” He said the UN last year budgeted several hundred million dollars to support more than half a million migrants entering the U.S. “Think of that,” Trump said. “The UN is supporting people that are illegally coming into the United States, and we have to get them out.” The president, who’s enforcing an immigration crackdown in the U.S., said what the UN is doing is “totally unacceptable.” “The UN is supposed to stop invasions, not create them and not finance them,” said Trump. Trump threatens Russia sanctions but says Europe must join in Trump threatened to hit Russia with “a very strong round of powerful tariffs” if Putin doesn’t come to the table to end its war in Ukraine. He claimed that would “stop the bloodshed .. very quickly” but also suggested fighting will not end as long as China and European nations continue buying Russian energy. “They’re funding the war against themselves. Who the hell ever heard of that one?” Trump said. Trump tells Hamas to release all hostages now Trump demanded on Tuesday that Hamas immediately release all hostages living and dead that it’s holding in Gaza, saying the time for partial releases is over. Speaking to world leaders at the UN General Assembly, Trump also criticized several European nations, including U.S. allies, for recognizing a Palestinian state, which he called a reward to Hamas for its Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel that sparked the current conflict. “As if to encourage continued conflict, some in this body seek to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state,” Trump said. “This would be a reward for these horrible atrocities, including October 7th. But instead of giving in to Hamas as ransom demands, those who want peace should be united with one message: release the hostages now.” “Just release the hostages now.” Trump says Russia-Ukraine war should have been a `quick little skirmish’ Trump says the Russia-Ukraine war should have been a `quick little skirmish,’ with Russia prevailing in a matter of days. Instead, it’s a become a years-long war. The president repeated his 2024 campaign talking point that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine never would have happened had he been president from 2021-2025. At the same time, Trump expressed surprise he hasn’t been able to negotiate a peace deal after insisting throughout the campaign that he’d end the war quickly, if not on “Day One.” “I thought that would be the easiest because of my relationship with President Putin, which had always been a good one,” Trump mused. Trump describes U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites Trump said that after he returned to office, he sent Iran’s supreme leader a letter pledging “full cooperation” in exchange for Iran suspending its nuclear program. “The regime’s answer was to continue their constant threats to their neighbors and U.S. interests throughout the region, and some great countries that are right nearby,” he said in the speech. The president declared that many of Iran’s former military commanders “are no longer with us” as a result. And he described Operation Midnight Hammer, a recent operation in which U.S. military aircraft bombed Iran’s key nuclear facilities. Trump slams the UN’s escalator and teleprompter while saying UN ignores his peace-promoting efforts The president used his speech to boast about his efforts to calm conflicts around the world, but said the UN has failed to help him. Listing efforts to ease conflicts in several countries -- inflating his role in some cases and the overall number of areas where he intervened in others, Trump said, “It’s too bad I had to do those things instead of the United Nations doing them.” “Sadly, in all cases, the United Nations did not even try to help,” Trump said. He also dismissively noted that the “two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter.” Trump said he could deliver his speech without notes without a teleprompter, but clearly was reading from a script. Trump blasts UN as being filled with `empty words’ and not helping end wars Standing in front of top UN officials, before more than 150 world leaders, Trump blasted the international organization. He said they didn’t reach out to him on the various wars he says he has brought to a conclusion. “I’ve always said the UN has such tremendous, tremendous potential. But it’s not even coming close to living up to that potential,” Trump said. “For the most part, at least for now, all they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter. It’s empty words and empty words don’t solve war.” Trump keeps mentioning Biden at UN General Assembly At least twice in the opening minutes of his UN speech, Trump has taken swipes at his predecessor, former President Joe Biden. It continues Trump’s tactic of bragging on the U.S. performance compared both to the Democratic administration and the rest of the world. Trump has mostly used general superlatives rather than verifiable facts to make such claims. It also stands out for a head of state speaking at the UN to inject their own domestic politics into the international discourse. Trump brags on the U.S. as the `hottest country’ in front of the rest of the world Trump wasted little time telling representatives of countries across the world that the U.S. is “the hottest country anywhere in the world, and there is no other country even close.” He added later that the U.S. is “the best country on Earth to do business” and claimed the economy now is “bigger and even better” than during his first term, which he described as “the greatest ... in the history of the world.” And he claimed the U.S. is “respected again” like never before. That kind of national bragging is generally frowned upon in diplomatic settings, including at the United Nations. Trump took the same approach in his remarks recently during a state visit to the United Kingdom. Trump opens UN General Assembly address with a joke about the non-working teleprompter Trump said he didn’t mind speaking without a teleprompter because “that way, you speak more from the heart.” He joked that whoever is running the teleprompter “is in big trouble.” `Everything’s frozen for you’: Stopped by New York police, Macron calls Trump French President Emmanuel Macron likes to say he can get President Trump on the phone any time he wants. In New York, he proved it. Blocked on Monday night by police officers when he sought to cross a New York street -- they told the French president the road was closed to let a VIP motorcade pass -- Macron fished out his phone and called his U.S. counterpart. “How are you?” Macron said. “Guess what? I’m waiting in the street because everything is frozen for you!” French media that filmed the scene said Trump was on the other end of the line, which a French official confirmed to The Associated Press. Macron explained to the officers that he was trying to make his way on foot to France’s diplomatic mission in New York, after he delivered a speech at the United Nations in which he announced that France was formally recognizing Palestinian statehood. “I’m sorry President, I’m really sorry, it’s just that everything’s frozen right now,” one of the police officers told Macron. But since he had Trump’s ear, Macron used the opportunity to keep chatting. “I would love this weekend have a short discussion with Qatar and you on the situation in Gaza,” he said. French media said Macron was able to continue his walk a few minutes later, when the street reopened. Trump cancels meeting with Democratic congressional leaders on keeping government open The president said on his social media site that he’ll no longer meet with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The New York lawmakers had been scheduled for a Thursday meeting with Trump ahead of the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30 in hopes of reaching an agreement to avoid a government shutdown. Trump called the requests made by Democrats in Congress, which include efforts to preserve health care programs, “unserious” and “ridiculous.” “I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,” Trump posted on Truth Social. Still, Trump indicated he would meet with them “if they get serious about the future of our Nation. We must keep the Government open, and legislate like true Patriots rather than hold American Citizens hostage, knowing that they want our now thriving Country closed.” Trump said he wants no money on health care for immigrants in the U.S. illegally and no government funding of medical treatments on gender transition. Melania Trump is launching a global coalition to help with children’s tech education Aides described the first lady’s Fostering the Future Together initiative as an extension of her work advocating for children. She’s set to launch the program Tuesday afternoon in New York on the sidelines of the annual U.N. General Assembly session. Marc Beckman, a senior adviser to the first lady, told Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” that the goal is to help children with their development in technology and education. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis eyes land in downtown Miami for Trump presidential library DeSantis, a Republican, is pushing to establish Trump’s presidential library in an iconic stretch of downtown Miami. Paving the way for the president’s post-administration historical archives is another way DeSantis and conservative lawmakers are vying to demonstrate their loyalty to Trump. DeSantis announced a plan Tuesday to set aside a 2.63-acre parcel of land adjacent to the Freedom Tower, a historic building that served as a resource center for hundreds of thousands of Cubans seeking asylum in the United States. Florida’s Cabinet is slated to vote on the proposal Sept. 30. Trump to meet with congressional Democratic leaders as government shutdown deadline looms Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had requested a meeting with the president to discuss a bipartisan deal on government funding last week. “In the meeting, we will emphasize the importance of addressing rising costs, including the Republican healthcare crisis. It’s past time to meet and work to avoid a Republican-caused shutdown,” Schumer and Jeffries wrote in a joint statement released Tuesday morning. The White House has not yet announced the meeting. Congress must pass a government funding plan before a Sep. 30 deadline. Any plan would require at least some Democratic senators to support it given the upper chamber’s filibuster rule, though Republicans and Democrats have so far had few negotiations. Tylenol maker rebounds a day after Trump’s unfounded claims about its safety Shares of Tylenol maker Kenvue bounced back sharply before the opening bell Tuesday, a day after President Trump promoted unproven and in some cases discredited ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism. “Don’t take Tylenol,” Trump instructed pregnant women around a dozen times during the White House news conference Monday, also urging mothers not to give their infants the drug, known by the generic name acetaminophen in the U.S. or paracetamol in most other countries. Shares of the New Jersey consumer brands company tumbled 7.5% Monday. Shares have regained most of those losses early Tuesday in premarket trading. Trump’s schedule, according to the White House At 9:50 a.m. ET, Trump will deliver remarks to the United Nations General Assembly. He’ll then take part in a series of bilateral meetings with world leaders across the late morning and early afternoon. In the evening at 7:20 p.m., he’ll attend and give an address at a U.N. reception before returning to the White House. Rubio says Trump will challenge `feckless’ UN to live up to its potential Trump will address the annual UN General Assembly later Tuesday and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the president would call for it to act on various crises instead of just debating them. “I think what the president’s going to do is challenge the UN to find its meaning and its purpose and its utility as an organization because it it doesn’t seem to be doing the job,” Rubio said in an interview on “Fox and Friends.” Rubio noted that in his private life, Trump had once offered to help renovate the UN headquarters in New York but had been turned down. “I think it’s emblematic of how feckless the UN has become as an organization,” he said. “It’s just a place where once a year a bunch of people meet and give speeches and write out a bunch of letters and statements but not a lot of good, important action is happening. The U.N. has a lot of potential but it’s not living up to it right now.” More Americans see benefits of immigrants as Trump targets legal pathways, poll finds A new AP-NORC poll shows U.S. adults are more likely than they were a year ago to think immigrants in the country legally benefit the economy. The finding comes as the Trump administration is imposing new restrictions targeting legal pathways into the country. The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that Americans are more likely than they were in March 2024 to say it’s a “major benefit” that people who come to the U.S. legally contribute to the economy and help American companies get the expertise of skilled workers. WHO calls for caution before making links between acetaminophen use by pregnant women and autism World Health Organization spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic noted “some observational studies” that have suggested a possible association between prenatal exposure to acetaminophen, or paracetamol, and autism, “but evidence remains inconsistent.” Several studies conducted afterward have “found no such relationship,” he said. “If the link between acetaminophen and autism were strong, it would likely have been consistently observed across multiple studies,” Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday. “This lack of replicability really calls for caution in drawing casual conclusions about the role of acetaminophen in autism,” he added. Jasarevic noted that WHO advises that medicines in pregnancy should always be used with caution, especially in the first three months, and in consultation with a patient’s doctor.
