September 22, 2026. President Trump Speaks at the United Nations

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President Trump’s rhetoric seems to be more bellicose, or unhinged, every year he speaks to the world’s leaders at the United Nations. Last year, he summed up his opinion of the entire world with “Your countries are going to hell.” Whether he was making a religious statement or just a political threat was unclear.

This year’s theme was to make clear that the United States would exert its military and economic power without any regard to other countries, international norms, or any personal constraints.

On Iran.

The U.S. will “annihilate the Islamic republic.” 

“Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations,”

Besides the usual incoherence of his speeches, he seems to be advocating something close to genocide.

On Venezuela.

“If necessary, we will use our unmatched military might to secure the vital interests of the U.S.”

“To the victor belongs the spoils.”

Trump characterized America’s takeover of Venezuelan oil as the “biggest deal ever made.”

In an article for The Free Press, the historian Niall Ferguson argued that Trump’s attack on Venezuela was a piece of a much larger whole, the restoration of the politics and diplomacy of 1900 — the years before the catastrophe of World War I. In other words, a return to gunboat diplomacy.

In Venezuela, Trump has left most of the brutal regime in power and ignored the democratic opposition. He has made it clear the only thing he wants is control of Venezuela’s oil for the benefit of the United States. This is odd since the United States is the world’s largest producer of fossil fuels and can obtain whatever oil it needs to import from Canada and Mexico. Very little oil from the Persian Gulf. To have energy security, all the U.S. has to do is be nice to our Canadian and Mexican neighbors. Not to be. Both countries are strengthening economic ties with China. There is increasing sales of Chinese EVs in both Canada and Mexico. Canada is greatly expanding the capacity of a liquid natural gas plant in British Columbia to export natural gas to Asia. One of the owners of the plant is China.

On Cuba.

President Trump said he will decide if a country has a right to be an independent and sovereign country.

In an earlier interview, Trump said that the only limit on his power is “my own morality, my own mind – it’s the only thing that can stop me.” Sounds like Nietzsche. We know where that led.

President Trump has nothing but contempt for the United Nations and all international organizations. He believes climate change is a “hoax.” He believes fears of destructive behavior of AI platforms is a “hoax.” He has spoken in support of European far-right and neo-Fascist leaders and regimes. Not surprising given his own rhetoric. But they are more sympathetic to Putin than to nominally democratic America. 

In a time of rising authoritarian regimes, there is no defense of democracy from the White House. He stopped American support of Ukraine, earning the Neville Chamberlain Award. Trump only sees powerful national leaders, not what they do to their own people and other countries. Not surprising, polls of people in many countries indicate a dramatic increase in negative opinions of Trump and the United States.

There are still world leaders who believe in democracy and the possibility of international cooperation. Mark Carney of Canada and Ursula von der Leyen are two of Trump’s least favorite people.


We see the world with the same eyes: from AI to climate change, from the Arctic to geopolitics. And we have stood together: on Ukraine, on defence, on raw materials and on supply chains. But above all, dear Mark, Europe and Canada believe in democracy. We believe that power does not belong to the strongest, the richest or the loudest – but to all of us. That democracies have the freedom to choose with whom to work.

-European Union (EU) President Ursula von der Leyen

This quote is from the State of the European Union (SOTEU) address delivered by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on September 16, 2026. [1]


Related Post:

Suggested Strategies After the War with Iran


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