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Trump’s UN remarks – in summary
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Trump opened his speech to the UN by commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary and focusing not on international issues, but touting his domestic record. Tax cuts, stock market highs, crime rates, and immigration enforcement, to name a few.
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He once again framed the war he launched on Iran earlier this year with Israel the same way he has to his domestic audience — as a necessary conflict to addressing a long-ignored threat. The United States, Trump said, had acted to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, while other countries ignored the issue.
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Trump then re-issued his threat to “annihilate” Iran and “drive them into Hell” if the regime didn’t capitulate and make a deal.” He touted his version of the war: one in which the US had defanged Iran militarily and driven the country to the brink of economic collapse. And hedged by saying he was confident Iran would make a deal after the US midterm elections – an argument he’s made to US voters.
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Trump said he was “working closely with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine” to end the disastrous war. “It’s going to happen, I think, more quickly than people understand,” he said. The US president said he had signed into law “a powerful new law” on sanctions, and “if necessary, I will have to use them.” He added: “It’s time to stop the killing.”
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Trump defended his administration’s actions in Latin America – including the midnight raid to arrest former Venezuelan president Nicólas Maduro, and the oil deal he struck with his more US-friendly successor, Delcy Rodriguez. “To the victor belong the spoils,” Trump declared, justifying the deal that will funnel a share of the nation’s immense oil wealth into the US treasury.
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Defending his drone strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific, Trump equated the cartels he claims to be fighting with Islamist terrorist organizations. “The cartels are the ISIS of the western Hemisphere – not good people,” he said. “Like ISIS, they should be killed, exiled or detained as enemy combatants without the possibility of release, which is what we’re doing.”
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He accused Mexico of being effectively controlled by the cartels, and said it was “unacceptable” for the US to share a border with a nation under such conditions. “So Mexico must reclaim control of its soil from the enemies of humanity,” Trump said.
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Trump also pointed to regime change in Cuba. “My administration is also seeking a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba, where the communist regime is under great pressure, the biggest pressure they’ve ever been under,” he said. “It’s an absolutely failed state. It’s failing.”
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Trump said the US has reached “an unprecedented agreement” on Greenland, with the Kingdom of Denmark. He said the deal – to be formally signed shortly after his speech – “gives the US permanent control over security and all of the needs on that territory” and that the US will build two “very major” military bases in Greenland.
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Trump said he would reject any calls for a “globalist scheme” to control artificial intelligence, and made an impromptu pitch to world leaders to call the technology “super intelligence” or “SI”. Amid mounting fears over the dangers of AI as some, including leaders in the industry, call for international regulation on the technology, Trump said he would not hinder its growth. He said he believes will be “bigger than the industrial revolution,” and vowed the US would lead on AI. “We’re only going to encourage superintelligence.”
Key events
Trump praises Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president, before their planned meeting
Tom Phillips
In his remarks to the UN earlier, Donald Trump hailed his new relationship with Nicolás Maduro’s successors in Venezuela, after the capture of the South American dictator during the US raid on 3 January.
“In January, at my direction, the United States military conducted a massive military operation penetrating deep into the Venezuelan capital, Caracas …. and arrested the outlaw dictator – a real criminal, Nicolás Maduro,” Trump said, as Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, sat listening in the audience.
Rodríguez, formerly Maduro’s vice president, has been a more pliant partner to the US in Venezuela, helping broker a lucrative deal granting the Trump administration access to the country’s immense oil wealth.
“We’re working closely with the leaders of Venezuela to forge a much better future for the Venezuelan people. Last month we signed the largest oil deal in history – covering 65 billion barrels of oil which will benefit both Venezuela and the United States enormously,” Trump added.
Trump is slated to meet personally with Rodríguez later today.
Trump hails ‘tremendous’ relationship with Denmark, Greenland as he signs Greenland deal
Jakub Krupa
At the Greenland deal signing ceremony, Trump said it “has been an amazing journey with tremendous people” with Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s PM Jens-Frederick Nielsen.
“We’re going to have a tremendous relationship, a secure relationship,” he said.
He thanked them for the deal, and says they will be working “very hard” on its implementation.
He said the deal has been “long in the making” – “many decades, probably centuries” – and it will be “tremendous for Europe and for the US and for everybody.”
Speaking next, Denmark’s Frederiksen said “This deal is good for the United States. It’s good for Greenland, for Denmark, for the Nato alliance, and therefore also good for Europe.”
Frederiksen said any adversaries “will not be allowed to get any control or significant influence in Greenland,” adding that the agreement “underlines the importance of the Nato alliance.”
In tricky, carefully worded paragraphs, she said the agreement “recognises the US defining historical and ongoing contributions to the security and defence of Greenland,” but it also “respects the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, as well as Greenland’s right to self-determination.”
“I think everybody knows that we live in difficult times where we have to show our strength. If we let ourselves be divided as allies, then we do our votes a favour. We will do everything we can to prevent that from happening.”
Then, Greenland’s Nielsen said it is “a very important day for our security” that “builds on 85 years of security cooperation” since the second world war.
He stressed that “this is not only an agreement about us, but an agreement with us” and called it “a win-win”.
“It takes into account the people of Greenland, our rights, our livelihoods and the development of our country. This has been a key priority for us throughout this process,” he said, saying this is why Greenland “insisted on engaging in a constructive dialogue.”
“Greenland matters for North American security and for transatlantic security. And this agreement reflects that we understand our responsibility and act accordingly,” he said.
He continued:
“Nato matters. We believe that it is vital to keep Nato strong, also in the Arctic, where the alliance has a key role to play.
This agreement should put to rest any doubt today and in the future about where Greenland’s loyalty lies.
Our commitment to this alliance and to the security we build together is not in question. We are, have been, and will remain a steadfast friend of the United States and a part of the western alliance. Your security is our security, and our security is your security.”
Trump’s UN remarks – in summary
-
Trump opened his speech to the UN by commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary and focusing not on international issues, but touting his domestic record. Tax cuts, stock market highs, crime rates, and immigration enforcement, to name a few.
-
He once again framed the war he launched on Iran earlier this year with Israel the same way he has to his domestic audience — as a necessary conflict to addressing a long-ignored threat. The United States, Trump said, had acted to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, while other countries ignored the issue.
-
Trump then re-issued his threat to “annihilate” Iran and “drive them into Hell” if the regime didn’t capitulate and make a deal.” He touted his version of the war: one in which the US had defanged Iran militarily and driven the country to the brink of economic collapse. And hedged by saying he was confident Iran would make a deal after the US midterm elections – an argument he’s made to US voters.
-
Trump said he was “working closely with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine” to end the disastrous war. “It’s going to happen, I think, more quickly than people understand,” he said. The US president said he had signed into law “a powerful new law” on sanctions, and “if necessary, I will have to use them.” He added: “It’s time to stop the killing.”
-
Trump defended his administration’s actions in Latin America – including the midnight raid to arrest former Venezuelan president Nicólas Maduro, and the oil deal he struck with his more US-friendly successor, Delcy Rodriguez. “To the victor belong the spoils,” Trump declared, justifying the deal that will funnel a share of the nation’s immense oil wealth into the US treasury.
-
Defending his drone strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific, Trump equated the cartels he claims to be fighting with Islamist terrorist organizations. “The cartels are the ISIS of the western Hemisphere – not good people,” he said. “Like ISIS, they should be killed, exiled or detained as enemy combatants without the possibility of release, which is what we’re doing.”
-
He accused Mexico of being effectively controlled by the cartels, and said it was “unacceptable” for the US to share a border with a nation under such conditions. “So Mexico must reclaim control of its soil from the enemies of humanity,” Trump said.
-
Trump also pointed to regime change in Cuba. “My administration is also seeking a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba, where the communist regime is under great pressure, the biggest pressure they’ve ever been under,” he said. “It’s an absolutely failed state. It’s failing.”
-
Trump said the US has reached “an unprecedented agreement” on Greenland, with the Kingdom of Denmark. He said the deal – to be formally signed shortly after his speech – “gives the US permanent control over security and all of the needs on that territory” and that the US will build two “very major” military bases in Greenland.
-
Trump said he would reject any calls for a “globalist scheme” to control artificial intelligence, and made an impromptu pitch to world leaders to call the technology “super intelligence” or “SI”. Amid mounting fears over the dangers of AI as some, including leaders in the industry, call for international regulation on the technology, Trump said he would not hinder its growth. He said he believes will be “bigger than the industrial revolution,” and vowed the US would lead on AI. “We’re only going to encourage superintelligence.”
Trump, Danish and Greenlandic leaders to speak at Greenland deal signing ceremony
We’ll hear from Donald Trump, Denmark’s PM Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s PM Jens-Frederick Nielsen shortly, as their (delayed) event on the Greenland deal is about to get under way.
My colleague Jakub Krupa is covering that over on our Europe live blog, and I’ll bring you all the key developments here too. You can also watch along here:
US will build two ‘very major’ military bases as part of new Greenland deal, Trump says
Jakub Krupa
There wasn’t much targeted criticism of Europe in Trump’s speech this year – no doubt, much to the relief of many European leaders in attendance or following from overseas.
His comments on European security (through the Greenland deal), Nato and plans to push for an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine will likely be seen as a positive development – even if they lack any much detail.
But let’s not celebrate too early and see what he says when he appears with the Danish and Greenlandic leaders shortly.
To recap, Trump spoke about the “northern frontier”, which seems to be his new phrase for Greenland.
He said the US has reached “an unprecedented agreement” on this, with the Kingdom of Denmark, “an incredible, beautiful country.”
He said the deal – to be formally signed shortly after his speech – “gives the US permanent control over security and all of the needs on that territory.”
“We will have the complete ability to do what is necessary to defend the American continent, and also Europe and other places. No US adversary will ever be permitted to establish a military presence in Greenland any more, or make sensitive investments there without our express written approval.”
He said the US will build two “very major” military bases in Greenland.
“By expanding America’s footprint in the Arctic and North Atlantic, this deal also protects Europe in addition to America and greatly protects them.”
Trump has concluded his address to the United Nations.
Trump said he would reject any calls for a “globalist scheme” to control artificial intelligence.
He also made an impromptu pitch to world leaders to call the technology “super intelligence,” or “SI,” rather than artificial intelligence.
This comes as mounting fears over the dangers of AI has prompted some, including leaders in the industry, to call for international regulation on the technology.”
But Trump said he would not hinder the growth of technology he believes will be “bigger than the industrial revolution,” and vowed the US would lead on AI.
“We’re only going to encourage superintelligence.”
‘Time to stop the killing’ in Ukraine, Trump says
Jakub Krupa
Quickly going through a number of issues in short succession, Trump also says he is going to “continue to seek to end the disastrous war between Russia and Ukrainee.”
He says he signed into law “a powerful new law” on sanctions, and “if necessary, I will have to use them.”
“It’s time to stop the killing,” he says.
He pays tribute to the First Lady’s work on “securing the safe return of many displaced Ukrainian and Russian children back home to their families.”
Trump points to goal of regime change in Cuba
“My administration is also seeking a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba, where the communist regime is under great pressure, the biggest pressure they’ve ever been under,” Trump said. “It’s an absolutely failed state. It’s failing.”
Trump on Venezuela: ‘To the victor belong the spoils’
Trump turns now to Latin America, where he defended his administration’s actions – including the midnight raid to arrest Venezuelan President Nicólas Maduro, and the oil deal he struck with his more US-friendly successor, Delcy Rodriguez.
“To the victor belong the spoils,” Trump said, justifying the deal that will funnel a share of the nation’s immense oil wealth into the US treasury.
He continued: “Our actions in Venezuela are proof that the United States will no longer permit threats to America to gain a foothold anywhere in the Western Hemisphere, and if necessary, we will use our unmatched military might to secure the vital national interests of the United States.”
Defending his drone strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific, Trump equated the cartels he claims to be fighting with Islamist terrorist organizations.
“The cartels are the ISIS of the Western Hemisphere – not good people,” Tump said. “They’re enemies at war with civilization, using murder, rape, torture, and extortion as instruments of terror. Like ISIS, they should be killed, exiled or detained as enemy combatants without the possibility of release, which is what we’re doing.”
He accused Mexico of being effectively controlled by the cartels, and said it was “unacceptable” for the US to share a border with a nation under such conditions.
“So Mexico must reclaim control of its soil from the enemies of humanity,” Trump said.
‘It’s going to happen … more quickly than people understand,’ Trump says on ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Jakub Krupa
He says “it’s going to happen, I think, more quickly than people understand.”
(It’s not the first time he says this, but the war is very much still ongoing.)
Before his remarks threatening to annihilate Iran, Trump had touted his version of the war: one in which the US had defanged Iran militarily and driven the country to the brink of economic collapse.
He also took a moment to deflect the claim that the war had depleted the US strategic munitions reserves, a subject he took time out of his morning to post about to Truth Social.
Trump threatens to ‘annihilate’ Iran and ‘drive them into Hell’ if regime doesn’t cave
After sharing his version of the Iran war, Trump issued a threat to “annihilate” Iran and “drive them into Hell” if the regime didn’t capitulate and make a deal.”
“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before?” Trump said, describing the choice he said was before him. “Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic, and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”
Trump then hedged by saying he was confident Iran would make a deal after the US midterm elections – an argument he’s made to US voters.
Trump touts actions against Iran in address to UN General Assembly
Trump turns now to his war in Iran, framing the war he launched earlier this year the same way he has to his domestic audience — as a necessary conflict to addressing a long-ignored threat.
“I do not believe in letting problems fester,” Trump said. “They only become harder to solve. So while others have talked, I have acted while others have spoken of peace, I have made peace. While others have ignored threats, I have confronted them. While others have talked of courage, America has shown it.”
The US, Trump said, had acted to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, while other countries ignored the issue.
“For 51 years, the fanatical Iranian regime has ruled by bloodshed and mass murder, spreading death and carnage and chaos across the entire Middle East and beyond,” Trump said, adding: “From the first day I entered the political arena, I’ve been unwavering. I will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump has opened his speech to the UN by commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary and focusing not on international issues, but touting his domestic record. Tax cuts, stock market highs, crime rates, and immigration enforcement, to name a few subjects.
“Before I took office, we had the worst and most dangerous border on earth, and now we have the most secure border in American history,” Trump said on immigration. “Nobody comes in unless they’re invited, unless they have permission. In the past 16 months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States. And that’s done by some very sophisticated people. It’s not done by the Trump administration. Zero.”
Trump addressing world leaders at the United Nations
Donald Trump has taken the stage to address the world leaders gathered at the United Nations in New York, who together comprise the international order he has deeply rattled in his second term in office.
Their meeting today takes place in the shadow of a war in Iran he launched alongside Israel, which has since spiraled into a crisis that has engulfed the entire region and strangled energy markets worldwide. He has yet to put to rest a Russian invasion of Ukraine that he vowed to end upon taking office. And his relationships with the US’s historic allies, including Europe and Canada, have frayed under a series of diplomatic provocations and his liberal use of tariffs against friends and foes alike.
He’s also demonstrated US aggression in the western hemisphere more than any president in recent memory. He’s threatened Denmark, a NATO ally, to hand over Greenland. He’s launched a campaign of drone strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, which his administration labels an anti-drug smuggling campaign, and that critics have branded as a war crime. He’s raided Venezuela and arrested its autocratic leader, replacing him with another autocrat more pliant to US interests, including in the nation’s abundant oil reserves. And he’s enacted withering sanctions on Cuba aimed at forcing regime change there.
Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is speaking before Trump takes the stage at the UN. And so far, he’s not making it easy for Trump to follow.
In his address, he’s criticized world powers (the US presumably among them) carving up the world into spheres of influence.
“The division of the world into spheres of influence and neocolonial drives for strategic resources constitute anachronistic gestures,” he said.
And he took aim specifically at Trump’s new interventionism in Latin America, including the administration’s toppling of Venezuela’s former president in favor of a US-friendly successor, and its withering sanctions on Cuba aimed at taking down the anti-US government there.
“The Venezuelan people deserve to define their own destiny,” Lula said.
He continued: “In Cuba, the world watches in horror as collective punishment is imposed on 10 million people by an illegal economic and energy embargo.”
Toward the end of his speech, the Brazilian president struck indirectly at claims of US meddling in Brazil’s upcoming presidential election.
“We will not allow the enemies of democracy – internal or external – to attack the will of the people,” Lula told the assembly.
“Brazilian democracy belongs to the Brazilians. Brazil will continue to be a sovereign country. No one – no one – will make us deviate from this path,” he concluded to applause.
