President Donald Trump declared that the U.S. has “entered the Golden Age of America” at the United Nations General Assembly. What ensued was not a vision for peace or progress, but a 57-minute tirade that mocked the very institution he was standing in.
World leaders are given 15 minutes to speak, but Trump spent nearly an hour insulting the UN’s contribution, belittling its member countries and even spinning bizarre conspiracy theories. His grievances ranged from urging a boycott of Russian oil and gas to a supposedly “sabotaged” escalator and teleprompter that he demanded an investigation into.
Most dangerous, however, was his boasting of “ending” seven conflicts, including those in Congo, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Iran. Not only are these claims false — they are reckless. Since the signing of the U.S.-brokered peace deal between Congo and Rwanda this spring, hundreds of civilians have died. Ethiopian officials have flatly denied Trump’s supposed funding of the Nile River’s megadam against Egypt. In Iran, Trump’s meddling has prompted Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to warn that American actions could “set fire” to the Middle East. If this is Trump’s idea of ending war, the world should be terrified of his idea of starting a war.
His diatribe did not end abroad. While boasting great American success, protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity nationwide continue to rage. On Saturday, Trump deployed “full force” troops to Portland, Oregon, to protect ICE facilities from what he called “domestic terrorism.”
In the same assembly, Trump continued to warn UN member countries that they would “go to hell” for not fighting back against the “number one issue: uncontrolled migration.” Meanwhile, under this administration, 59,207 migrants have been detained, $45 billion was funnelled into the expansion of ICE centers and H-1B visas — a lifeline to many skilled workers — are now nearly impossible to obtain.
Immigrants are not America’s downfall, but its backbone. Second responders to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 were undocumented immigrants who rebuilt the nation’s dignity through the rubble. Today, despite the noise, they continue to sustain industries, from healthcare to agriculture, even as Trump vilifies them on a global stage.
Trump accused the UN of being an organization of “empty words.” But his speech was the emptiest of them all: bluster with no solutions, bravado without accountability and a medley of self-congratulation built on half-truths and fantasies.
This is not the golden age of America. It is an age of spectacle, where real crises are reduced to punchlines and conspiracy theories. If this is how the U.S. decides to show up on the world stage, everyone has the right to question whether America is still capable of serious leadership.
