Featured Image Credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, United Nations, Immigration, World News
Joe Yates
Topics: Donald Trump, United Nations, Immigration, World News
President Donald Trump has sparked outrage with a fiery speech at the United Nations, where he accused countries of falling apart due to immigration and even told them they were 'going to hell'.
Speaking at the General Assembly in New York City today (September 23), the POTUS wasted no time blasting what he described as the 'failed experiment' of open borders.
“When your prisons are filled with so-called asylum seekers who repay kindness - and that’s what they did, they repaid kindness with crime,” Trump told world leaders.
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He went on: “It’s time to end the failed experiment of open borders, you have to end it now. I can tell you, I’m really good at this stuff - your countries are going to hell.” Take a listen here:
Throughout the speech, Trump doubled down on his long-held anti-immigration stance, praising his administration’s record.
"Once we started detaining and deporting everyone who crossed the border and removing illegal aliens from the United States, they simply stopped coming,” he said. “They’re not coming anymore.”
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The 45th president also took a swipe at the UN itself, suggesting the organisation had failed to play a meaningful role in peace negotiations.
"It’s too bad that I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them. That being the case, what is the purpose of the United Nations?” he asked.
Trump then boasted that he had ended seven 'unendable wars' through US diplomacy, and even floated the idea of being worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize.
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“What I care about is not winning prizes, it’s saving lives,” he added.
Turning his attention to international crime, he described how the US military was now targeting drug cartels near Venezuela, claiming American forces had struck three boats suspected of smuggling narcotics.
“To every terrorist thug smuggling poisonous drugs into the United States of America, please be warned that we will blow you out of existence,” Trump declared.
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Despite repeatedly criticising the UN during his remarks, Trump struck a very different tone when he later sat down with Secretary General António Guterres.
“Our country is behind the United Nations 100%,” Trump said, thanking Guterres for 'treating us so warmly' and calling the organization 'a great opportunity for peace'.
“I may disagree with it sometimes but I am so behind it because I think the potential for peace for this institution is so great,” he added.
Prior to his speech, Trump hopped onto an escalator that stopped as soon as he got on, while the teleprompter also broke while he stepped up to speak.