At the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025, former U.S. president Donald Trump delivered one of the most confrontational speeches of the week. He accused the UN of failing in its most basic mission and went further, charging that it was “creating problems instead of solving them.”
In one of his sharpest lines, Trump told world leaders: “Your countries are going to hell.”
His criticisms focused on three themes: uncontrolled migration, climate change policies, and the UN’s inability to address ongoing global conflicts.
Trump described migration as the defining political crisis of our time. He blamed the UN for advancing what he called an “open borders agenda,” arguing that it undermines sovereignty and destabilizes nations.
While many leaders disagreed, his words resonated with domestic audiences in the U.S. and parts of Europe, where migration has become a highly divisive issue. The UN has struggled to create durable solutions to refugee movements from Syria, Sudan, and elsewhere — leaving nations to handle the fallout independently.
On climate, Trump dismissed global policies as a “con job” that punished economies without delivering results. His remarks stood in stark contrast to most other leaders who described climate change as an existential threat.
Yet, Trump tapped into a frustration that climate summits often produce ambitious pledges but few enforceable outcomes. Critics argue that the UN’s climate frameworks lack teeth, with emissions rising even as promises multiply.
Trump’s remarks are not without precedent. The United Nations has faced similar charges since its creation in 1945.
For critics, these episodes prove the UN is more a stage for speeches than a force for solutions.
Despite the criticism, dismantling the UN is not a realistic option. It remains the only global platform where nearly every nation, large and small, has a voice. It coordinates humanitarian aid, mediates negotiations, and offers at least symbolic accountability when powerful nations act unilaterally.
But Trump’s address highlighted the central dilemma: What good is a world parliament if it cannot act decisively when crises demand it?
Trump’s 2025 UN speech will be remembered less for policy specifics and more for its defiance. It echoed decades of disillusionment with an institution caught between ideals and the politics of its most powerful members.
For Africa, Asia, Europe, and beyond, the lesson is the same one Nkrumah raised over 60 years ago: until the United Nations finds the power to act when it matters most, it risks remaining what critics call it — a body with words, but no teeth.
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