Joel Rubin, who once worked in the State Department under President Obama, strongly criticized Donald Trump’s speech to the United Nations. He said the address was harmful to America and unlike anything he had seen before at the U.N.
Instead of presenting a clear plan for the future, Rubin said Trump spent nearly an hour mocking the U.N., attacking clean energy, exaggerating his accomplishments, and even complaining about a teleprompter and an escalator. Rubin described the speech as “bonkers” and “out of control,” pointing out that it had no strategy and no vision for how the U.S. would work with other countries.
According to Rubin, Trump ignored serious threats facing the U.S., such as nuclear weapons, terrorism, China’s growing influence in Asia, and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Instead, Trump seemed to treat renewable energy as the nation’s biggest problem, calling it too costly and unreliable.
Rubin highlighted how misleading that claim was, since renewable energy is already cheaper than fossil fuels and is expected to provide most of the world’s electricity in just a few years.
Rubin argued that the speech damaged America’s reputation and weakened its national security because it showed the world that the U.S. isn’t serious about tackling global challenges. He warned that other countries will distance themselves from the U.S. if this kind of leadership continues.
He also criticized Trump for bragging about working with leaders who like him, while failing to make progress with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and lacking any clear plan for ending wars in Gaza or Ukraine. Rubin said there has been no meaningful coordination with NATO or other partners, leaving the U.S. without a strong position in these conflicts and reducing its influence worldwide.
Finally, Rubin reminded viewers that the U.N. is a body where votes matter, and the U.S. has been steadily losing support. He said if America continues down this path, it won’t be able to lead on solving global conflicts—and that will only make the world more unstable.
