President Donald Trump used his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to draw attention to the persecution of Christians worldwide, criticizing the U.N. Human Rights Council for giving the issue little attention while condemning some of the world’s most repressive governments.
“Christians are being persecuted all over the world; it's not even believable. I never thought I'd say it, but it's been happening for a long time. So this is persecution of Christians, or the crimes of the world's most repressive regimes,” said Trump, who is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week.
Trump also warned against large-scale immigration from countries where severe instability persists, arguing that Western nations should not import individuals who could threaten public safety.
“Yet they want America to open up our borders to gangs and criminals from the world's most dangerous places. They want the worst people to come in from the worst places on Earth, and we don't do it anymore,” he continued.
The president also delivered a stark warning to Iran, telling the General Assembly that Tehran must choose between reaching an agreement with the United States or facing potentially devastating consequences.
“I have a big decision to make,” Trump told the assembly, which included a delegation from Iran. “Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever war before, maybe the greatest in the Middle East or even the world?”
“Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic, and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into Hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?” he continued.
Trump said he expects an agreement with Iran could still be reached after the November midterm elections, arguing that “it doesn’t make sense for them not to.” He denied that the election calendar was influencing his approach to the conflict.
“It doesn't even enter my mind. The only thing that does is that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” he said, prompting applause.
Trump also rejected reports that prolonged military operations have depleted U.S. ammunition supplies, accusing critics of promoting a false narrative.
“We have more munitions than we could ever possibly even think of using, and we're building them at levels that we have never done before. We are adding to our stockpiles faster than we have ever been able to do before; top-of-the-line stuff. In addition, in the very near future, massive munition plants will be opening,” he said.
During the wide-ranging speech, Trump pointed to U.S. involvement in conflicts and diplomatic efforts involving Gaza, Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan and India, Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as Venezuela, Cuba, Greenland, NATO and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump also promoted his administration’s domestic record, highlighting employment, income, taxes, investment, border enforcement and crime.
“Our economy is the envy of the world. Our military is the most powerful on Earth. Our technology is second to none, and we are leading in virtually everything. Our energy is fueling the planet. America is rising. Our nation is growing. Our power is expanding. Our country is doing better than ever before, and our future is very, very bright,” he said.
