UNITED NATIONS – President Donald Trump will address a gathering of world leaders on Tuesday, Sept. 22, kickstarting a whirlwind week of diplomacy that will begin in New York with negotiations to end wars in Iran and Ukraine before Trump returns to Washington to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping for a much-anticipated state visit.
Trump’s appearance at the United Nations comes as U.S. allies are increasingly united in their conviction that the United States can’t be counted on as a reliable partner. In his speech, Trump is expected to say that NATO countries refused to support his war against Iran, and may blame Ukraine for the record-high diesel prices in the United States.
But there are also some indications that Trump may choose to play
nice instead.
After his address, Trump will sign an agreement with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland to expand the U.S. military presence on the island. Trump had rattled European leaders earlier this year with his threats to acquire Greenland by force, saying that control of the island was a matter of national security for the United States.
Trump met on Sept. 20 with French President Emmanuel Macron and has more meetings on the schedule with U.S. allies like British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
One of the most-watched encounters will be Trump’s brief meeting with Delcy Rodríguez, the interim leader of Venezuela. It will be the first time the two leaders meet face-to-face since Trump authorized an audacious military operation to capture longtime Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
Trump's demands to reform the U.N.
07:58 AM ET, September 22 2026, Miles J. HerszenhornTrump is expected to use his speech to call on the United Nations to continue its reform efforts.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz told Fox News on Sept. 20 that Trump believes it “needs to be leaner, it needs to be more focused, it needs to be less bureaucratic and bloated.”
The United States has withheld billions of dollars from the United Nations over allegations that its budget is too large and being misused.
“We have the U.N. on a diet,” Waltz said.
The United States paid $827 million to the United Nations in the lead-up to the General Assembly week, which will ensure that it does not lose its vote in the General Assembly for nonpayment. Washington, however, had long delayed payments and still owes more than $4.1 billion to the international organization, according to U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq.
As the largest funder of the United Nations, the Trump administration’s decision to withhold billions in payments to the organization over accusations of anti-American and anti-Israel bias has caused a severe financial crisis for the U.N.
Chris Lu, who served as the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. for management and reform in the Biden administration, said the rest of the world will be looking for the Trump administration to put the money where its mouth is.
“That reform can’t happen unless the U.S. works in a collaborative way with the rest of the world on those reform efforts and actually pays its dues,” Lu said. “The U.S. has been so delinquent in paying its dues and it has caused a major problem at the U.N. in terms of its basic ability to function.”
When does Trump speak at the U.N.?
07:58 AM ET, September 22 2026, Miles J. HerszenhornPresident Donald Trump will likely begin his speech at the United Nations General Assembly around 10 a.m.
Due to a long-standing tradition, Brazil is the first country to speak at the gathering. The United States, as the host nation, goes second.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Live updates: Trump to address U.N. amid rising tensions with Canada, Europe
