On September 23, 2025, former U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a heated address at the United Nations General Assembly. His remarks covered climate change, energy policy, immigration, and criticism of the U.N. Some of his claims drew sharp scrutiny from fact-checkers. Let’s look at three statements he made, and what closer inspection reveals about their accuracy.

1. “Climate change is the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world”

In his speech, Trump asserted that climate change is a “con job” and criticized renewable energy efforts.
The Guardian
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Reuters
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Axios
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Fact check:
This claim conflicts with the consensus of climate science. Many leading scientific bodies—including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)—find overwhelming evidence that the Earth is warming, and that human activities (especially burning fossil fuels) are a major cause.
Axios
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Trump also criticized investments in green energy, saying they would lead to economic decline.
Reuters
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Reality check:
While renewable energy transitions involve costs and challenges, many analyses show net economic and environmental benefits over time. Fact-checkers found that Trump’s broad dismissal of climate science and renewable energy was misleading.
ABC News
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PolitiFact
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2. The teleprompter was broken, and the U.N. “gave” him a bad teleprompter

During his address, Trump blamed the U.N. for a malfunctioning teleprompter, saying whoever ran it would be “in big trouble.”
AP News
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EW.com
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Fact check:
The U.N. quickly countered that the teleprompter was operated by the White House team, not by U.N. staff.
EW.com
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A U.N. spokesman also said the escalator issue Trump raised (another complaint he made) was triggered by a U.S. videographer, not a faulty U.N. system.
AP News
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EW.com
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Reality check:
While technical disruptions can happen, the evidence suggests the blame for the teleprompter failure lies with Trump’s team, not the U.N. His implication that the U.N. was responsible appears inaccurate based on statements by U.N. officials.
EW.com
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3. Warnings about immigration destroying Western countries

In his speech, Trump warned that open borders and migration policies were “ruining” countries, particularly in Europe.
The Guardian
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The Guardian
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Reuters
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Fact check:
Immigration is a complex issue with economic, social, and demographic effects. It is misleading to state definitively that immigration “destroys” nations. Fact-checks by media outlets note that Trump’s sweeping claim lacked supporting evidence.
The Guardian
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Additionally, in his call to expel foreigners or shut borders, Trump ignored legal and human rights constraints that many countries face.
The Guardian
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Reality check:
While some European and other nations have faced challenges integrating migrants or dealing with pressure on social services, broad statements that migration is ruinous oversimplify the facts. The real situation depends heavily on policy, economic conditions, and context.

Conclusion

Trump’s 2025 UN speech was filled with strong rhetoric and bold claims. Some statements—especially on climate change, immigration, and technical failures during the speech—were challenged by journalists and fact-checkers. In many cases, the facts tell a more nuanced story than the sweeping declarations made onstage.

In public discourse, fact-checking helps separate compelling rhetoric from reality. For readers and observers, it’s helpful to pause, check reliable sources, and consider context before accepting dramatic claims at face value.