By Craig Martel | September 2025
President Donald Trump took the stage at the United Nations General Assembly and delivered a 56-minute spectacle that scorched diplomacy, science, and basic decency. What was billed as a foreign policy address quickly devolved into a tirade against climate action, immigration, and multilateral cooperation. For those of us fighting for truth, accountability, and local resilience, it was a wake-up call and a rallying cry.
This wasn’t just another Trump speech. It was a declaration of war on the global climate movement, a rejection of international norms, and a masterclass in misinformation. And it came at a time when the world can least afford it.
Climate Change: The “Greatest Con Job”?
Trump’s most incendiary claim? That climate change is “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.” He dismissed carbon footprints as a hoax, mocked renewable energy, and warned that green policies would “destroy a large part of the free world”.
Let’s be clear: this is not just denial. it’s sabotage. The science is settled. The planet is warming. Extreme weather events are intensifying. And the window for action is closing. Yet Trump used the world’s most visible diplomatic stage to spread disinformation and embolden fossil fuel interests.
He didn’t stop at rhetoric. His administration has pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement, twice and gutted federal support for clean energy.
Regulations that protect air, water, and public health have been systematically dismantled. The message to polluters? Full speed ahead.
Immigration: “Your Countries Are Going to Hell”
Trump’s speech also targeted immigration with venomous precision. He warned European leaders that “uncontrolled migration” was ruining their nations, adding, “Your countries are going to hell”.
He doubled down on mass deportation policies and urged other nations to follow suit. “If you come illegally into the United States, you're going to jail, or you're going back to where you came from, or perhaps even further than that,” he said.
This isn’t policy, it’s fearmongering. It’s the weaponization of xenophobia to distract from domestic failures. And it’s a direct threat to the values of inclusion, compassion, and human dignity that many communities, including ours, fight to uphold.
The U.N.: “Empty Words Don’t Solve War”
Trump didn’t spare the United Nations itself. He mocked its peacekeeping efforts, ridiculed its bureaucracy, and questioned its very purpose. “All they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up,” he said. “It’s empty words, and empty words don’t solve war”.
He claimed to have ended seven wars in seven months, a statement that fact-checkers quickly dismantled. Many of the conflicts he cited weren’t active wars, and his role in brokering peace was either exaggerated or disputed by the countries involved.
This attack on multilateralism is dangerous. The U.N. may be imperfect, but it remains a vital forum for diplomacy, humanitarian aid, and global coordination. Undermining it weakens our collective ability to respond to crises, from pandemics to climate disasters to armed conflict.
The Fallout: Reputation, Trust, and Global Standing
So, what does this mean for the United States?
• Our diplomatic credibility is eroding. Allies are watching and recalibrating.
• Our soft power is shrinking. The U.S. once led on climate and human rights. Now we risk becoming a cautionary tale.
• Our economic future is at stake. The green economy is booming globally. By clinging to fossil fuels, we’re falling behind.
And let’s not forget the moral cost. When the leader of the free world mocks science, vilifies immigrants, and undermines international cooperation, it sends a chilling message to communities already under siege.
The Strategy Behind the Spectacle
This wasn’t just off-the-cuff bluster. It was strategic. Trump’s speech globalized his domestic priorities, climate denial, border militarization, and institutional erosion and invited other nations to join him.
It’s a playbook we’ve seen before:
• Create a crisis (e.g., “green energy is suicidal”)
• Blame the vulnerable (e.g., immigrants, refugees)
• Discredit institutions (e.g., the U.N., climate scientists)
• Position yourself as the savior (“I ended seven wars”)
It’s authoritarianism with a populist veneer. And it’s spreading.
My Final Thoughts: This Is Not Normal
Trump’s U.N. speech was not just a spectacle; it was a signal. A signal that truth is under siege. That science is being sidelined. That institutions are being hollowed out.
But it was also a reminder. A reminder that we have power. That local action matters. That satire, data, and community can cut through the noise.
So, let’s get to work. Let’s build, expose, mock, and mobilize. Because the world may be.