Donald Trump is a man of peace, but also not. From the stage of the United Nations General Assembly, the American president launches yet another challenge to world leaders while self-celebrating. He calls himself a bringer of peace, but at the same time threatens to annihilate Iran.
Trump has it for everyone except his America, which has returned “stronger than ever”. He arrived at the Glass Palace accompanied by First Lady Melania. Before climbing the escalator that had infuriated him last year, the president once again attacks CNN, present at the UN proceedings but blocked from accessing the White House. “He shouldn’t be here,” she jabs. Then it’s the turn of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to whom he turns asking to put an end to the war in Ukraine.
The Trump show
When he goes on stage it’s a show: for almost 40 minutes Trump lists all the (self-attributed) records of his administration, from the economy to immigration. So there is room for foreign policy. Cuba? “A failed state that will fall,” he says as the Havana delegation leaves the room at his words.
President Trump at the 2026 @UN General Assembly.
“We will not just speak of peace, prosperity, & justice here at the UN, we will stand for them… Together, we will build a future for our people that is brighter, more hopeful, & more magnificent than EVER BEFORE.” pic.twitter.com/8dKMDlrfPW
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 22, 2026
Iran Chapter. “I have to decide whether to annihilate Iran or make an agreement. And if I have to annihilate them, I will do it quickly. But I am convinced that they will make the agreement after the elections”, he thundered, showing that he once again prefers threatening tones to diplomacy. But then Trump himself confirmed that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Iranian negotiators. Among them, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi who illustrated to the president’s envoys Tehran’s conditions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, i.e. – reports the state agency Irib – “the immediate lifting of the US naval blockade, the rapid release of all frozen Iranian assets and the end of the war on all fronts of the resistance”.
Among the eight wars that Trump repeats he has resolved, there is no one between Russia and Ukraine. “Peace will be made sooner than you think”, repeats the tycoon, assuring once again that a solution will be found. And to try to speed up the process, he also met Zelensky with whom, he admitted, there are “very close relations”.
Trump then goes on to attack the International Criminal Court, inviting everyone to distance themselves from it. And he also took it out on those who raise the alarm about the development of artificial intelligence, which he wants to rename “superintelligence”. The alarmism is a “hoax”, like that of climate change, he said, reiterating the United States’ opposition to the regulation of AI. He reserved the latest criticism for the UN, which has been one of the president’s favorite targets for years. He accused the organization of promoting a “radical left-wing” agenda. But thanks to me, she noted, she was unable to “infringe the sovereignty of the United States and impose itself on Americans.”