Seven years ago, Donald Trump’s debut speech at the United Nations General Assembly was met with open laughter from world leaders after he boasted about his record. On Tuesday, as he returns to the same stage in his second term, the scene could not be more different.
Once dismissed as a brash outsider, Trump now arrives at the UN as a central figure in a shifting global order where many governments are more eager to court him than to challenge him. Foreign leaders who once rolled their eyes are now offering praise, hoping to stay in his good graces.
Trump’s skepticism of multilateral institutions has reshaped U.S. engagement with the UN. Under his leadership, Washington slashed its contributions to the organization, cut funding for peacekeeping and humanitarian programs, and withdrew from agencies including UNESCO, the World Health Organization, and the Human Rights Council. Trump has argued the UN “is not living up to its potential” and derided what he calls “woke, divisive causes.”
On the Security Council, the U.S. has at times sided with Russia and China, including on a Ukraine resolution that avoided blaming Moscow. Trump has also broken with allies over Gaza, refusing to back a two-state solution conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia and supported by nearly 150 member states. Instead, he will host Muslim-majority leaders separately for talks on the conflict, while insisting the UN has grown hostile to Israel.
Despite his disdain for the body, Trump’s presence dominates this year’s UNGA. He is expected to tout what he calls “historic accomplishments,” including efforts to resolve conflicts in Armenia and Azerbaijan, and his claim to have ended “seven global wars and conflicts” in just eight months of his new term. He will also hold high-profile meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The contrasts with his first term are striking. Then, he was mocked for threatening to “totally destroy North Korea” and for calling Kim Jong Un “rocket man.” Today, world leaders are more cautious, recognizing the influence of a president who has openly questioned the value of the very institution he is addressing.
From mocking laughter in 2018 to orchestrated flattery in 2025, Trump’s journey at the UN reflects not only his own evolution on the world stage but also the waning confidence in the multilateral order the UN was built to uphold.