President Donald Trump went scorched earth as he delivered an astonishing speech at the United Nations General Assembly today.
But one attendee who appeared less than impressed was the First Lady.
Melania appeared glazed-over as her husband raged about everything from migration to war and his claim that climate change is a ‘hoax.’
As the room broke into applause when Trump signed off with ‘God bless the nations of the world,’ the First Lady — elegant in a cream suit and caramel blouse — seemed to only join in once she noticed a photographer’s lens pointed her way.
She then offered a half-hearted clap.
At another point, a member of the Russian delegation pulled out his phone — seemingly in amazement — and appeared to start filming Trump’s tirade as he accused Europe of hypocrisy for buying Moscow‘s oil and gas while condemning the Kremlin.
And in another eyebrow-raising moment, Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape appeared to yank out his live-translation earpiece mid-speech, flashing a grin as Trump continued his tirade.
His astonishing address saw Trump accuse the UN of ‘funding an assault’ on the West through immigration and warn Europe is ‘going to hell’.
President Donald Trump went scorched earth as he delivered an astonishing speech at the United Nations General Assembly today – but Melania Trump seemed somewhat less than impressed as the tirade came to an end
Melania appeared zoned out during her husband’s fiery UN speech on Tuesday as she belatedly clapped to his impassioned plea to world leaders when she realized the cameras were on her
The outburst came after a string of slip-ups at the summit — including the Trumps being forced to clamber up a broken escalator as they arrived.
The mishap seemed to set the tone for his fiery tirade, with Trump later sneering: ‘All I got from the United Nations was an escalator on the way up that stopped in the middle… If the First Lady wasn’t in great shape, she would’ve fallen.’
Throughout Trump’s speech, he boasted about the many conflicts he claims he’s put an end to – and blasted the UN for not trying to help with any of them.
‘I ended seven wars, dealt with leaders of each country, and never even received a call from the UN offering to help in finalizing the deal,’ Trump complained.
‘The United Nations wasn’t there for us. They weren’t there. I thought of it after the fact, not during these negotiations…what is the purpose of the UN? It’s not even coming close to living up to that potential,’ he said.
‘These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter,’ Trump added.
The president suggested that the grudge was several decades long.
The president and Melania Trump were forced to walk up a broken escalator as they entered the UN headquarteres in Manhattan on Tuesday
In another eyebrow-raising moment, Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape (left, front row) appeared to yank out his live-translation earpiece mid-speech, flashing a grin as Trump continued his tirade
At another point, a member of the Russian delegation pulled out his phone — seemingly in amazement — and appeared to start filming Trump’s tirade
‘Many years ago, a very successful real estate developer in New York known as Donald J. Trump, I bid on the renovation and rebuilding of this very United Nations complex,’ Trump said. ‘I said at the time that I would do it for $500 million.’
‘They decided to go another direction that produced a far inferior product,’ the president said.
Trump said he had warned the UN about cost overruns, and those indeed happened.
‘As far as I’m concerned, frankly, looking at the building and getting stuck in the escalator, they still haven’t finished the job,’ Trump said.
‘Unfortunately, many things in the United Nations are happening just like that, but on an even – much bigger scale,’ the president added.
But it wasn’t just the UN that felt the wrath as Trump used his platform in front of world leaders to attack their countries.
‘I’m really good at this stuff,’ the president quipped before warning: ‘Your countries are going to hell.’
The First Lady sits in the audience to watch her husband’s speech Tuesday morning
Trump’s teleprompter wasn’t working when he arrived Tuesday morning to deliver his address
He was referencing the increased focus on green energy and the hesitation – especially from European nations – to stymie mass migration to their countries.
‘I’ve been right about everything,’ Trump insisted. ‘And I’m telling you that if you don’t get away from the green energy scam your country is going to fail. 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.
‘I’m the President of the United States, but I worry about Europe. I love Europe, I love the people of Europe.’
Trump appeared more hesitant to tear into his Brazilian counterpart, president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The two crossed paths at the UN on Tuesday after Lula delivered remarks to the General Assembly body just ahead of Trump’s speech.
Trump said he will meet with the Brazilian leader next week and claims they embraced. Then just minutes later, the president had harsh words for him because of Brazil ‘taking advantage’ of the US under previous administrations.
‘Brazil now faces major tariffs in response to its unprecedented efforts to interfere in the rights and freedoms of our American citizens and others with censorship, repression, weaponization, judicial corruption and targeting of political critics of the United States,’ Trump said.
Trump said he and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (pictured) will meet next week after they two ran into each other between their remarks at the event
He admitted: ‘I have a little problem saying this, because I must tell you, I was walking in and the leader of Brazil was walking out. I saw him and he saw me, and we embraced. And then I’m saying, can you believe I’m going to be saying this in just two minutes?’
Trump then announced that he would be meeting with Lula next week and said they had ‘great chemistry’ in their few seconds of meeting between their speeches.
‘He seemed like a very nice man,’ Trump said. ‘Actually, he liked me, I liked him.’
‘And I only do business with people I like. When I don’t like them, I don’t like them. But we had, at least for about 39 seconds, we had excellent chemistry. It’s a good sign,’ he said.
