'Your countries are being ruined' by migration, Trump tells Europe at the UN

In his first address at the United Nations General Assembly since 2020, US President Donald Trump warned Europe on Tuesday that irregular migration is "destroying your heritage" and ruining its countries.

Trump called immigration and policies confronting climate change a “double-tailed monster” that is ruining the European continent, particularly harsh in his condemnation of what he called “the unmitigated immigration disaster.”

“If you don’t stop people that you’ve never seen before, that you have nothing in common with, your country is going to fail," Trump said.

"I’m the president of the United States, but I worry about Europe. I love Europe, I love the people of Europe. And I hate to see it being devastated by energy and immigration, that double-tailed monster that destroys everything in its wake.”

“You’re doing it because you want to be nice," he said in a direct address to the European leaders. "You want to be politically correct, and you’re destroying your heritage.”

“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,” Trump said.

In recent years, European countries have tightened borders and access to asylum for third-country nationals. The European Union is also implementing a common pact for migration and asylum, which will impose stricter rules within the Schengen area.

European leaders are also working on new legislation to simplify returns, which is currently under negotiation at the European institutions.

In its September factsheet on migration, published on Tuesday, the European Commission reported that, according to data by Frontex, irregular crossings of external EU borders went down in 2024 by 25% compared to the previous year.

The share of non-EU citizens in all 27 member states totalled 6.4% of the overall EU population in 2024, according to Eurostat.

During his hour-long speech, Trump accused the UN of facilitating and investing in irregular migration worldwide.

Referring to the US, he said the intergovernmental organisation facilitated the entrance of “millions” of migrants into the country.

“The UN is supporting people that are illegally coming into the United States, and we have to get them out,” Trump said, and added that the top international organisation should “stop invasions, not create them and not finance them.”

Although he did not explicitly name them, Trump was likely referring to two of the UN's aid agencies supporting migrants and refugees worldwide, the IOM and the UNHCR.

Ending seven wars in seven months

During his speech, Trump said he had ended "seven wars" in the first seven months of his current presidential mandate, some of which had lasted for decades.

He listed conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Serbia and Kosovo, Israel and Iran, India and Pakistan and Egypt and Ethiopia among those where he successfully brokered peace, criticising the UN for not helping him during negotiations.

“I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of each and every one of these countries, and never even received a phone call from the United Nations offering to help in finalising the deal,” Trump said.

“All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle,” not sparing the UN of further criticism for a "bad teleprompter".

Trump also said that "everyone" thinks he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize.

“Everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize for each one of these achievements,” he pointed out.

Trump further lamented over the state of the UN, saying he "always said the UN has such tremendous, tremendous potential."

"But it’s not even coming close to living up to that potential,” Trump added. “For the most part, at least for now, all they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter. It’s empty words,* and empty words don’t solve war.”

Trump also addressed Russia's ongoing all-out war in Ukraine — which he said would have been a "quick little skirmish" — by threatening to hit Russia with “a very strong round of powerful tariffs” if Putin does not come to the table to find an end to it.

He claimed that he would “stop the bloodshed ... very quickly,” but also stated the war would not end as long as China and European nations continue buying Russian energy, slamming European nations once more.

“They’re funding the war against themselves. Who the hell ever heard of that one,” Trump said.

Addressing the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the US president demanded that Hamas immediately release all hostages that it is holding captive, living or dead, saying the time for partial releases is over.

Trump also slammed several European nations, including US allies, for recognising a Palestinian state, which he called a reward to Hamas for its 7 October 2023 attacks in southern Israel when the militant group killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostage.

It is believed that some 20 hostages are still alive among the 50 that remain in Hamas' captivity.

On Monday, France and Belgium joined the UK, Portugal and others in recognising the Palestinian state in what they said was a move to facilitate the end of the war in the Middle East and a two-state solution.

“As if to encourage continued conflict, some in this body seek to unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state,” Trump said. “This would be a reward for these horrible atrocities, including 7 October."

"But instead of giving in to Hamas' ransom demands, those who want peace should be united with one message: release the hostages now,” the US president stated. “Just release the hostages now.”