Obama-era official slams Trump's UN speech as 'out of control' and 'bonkers'
Joel Rubin says the nearly hourlong address offered no clear multilateral strategy and miscast renewable energy as a threat.
A former senior State Department official under President Barack Obama on Tuesday criticized Donald Trump s address to the United Nations General Assembly, calling it unconstrained and filled with lies and grievances. Joel Rubin, who served in the Obama administration, told MSNBC that he ve never seen a speech on the U.N. stage like the nearly hourlong remarks from Trump. "This was bonkers, this was out of control," Rubin said. "It made no strategic sense, it did not lay out a vision for how we re going to actually achieve our goals in a multilateral forum." The speech, delivered at the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 23, 2025, drew swift critique from Rubin and other observers who argued it did little to address global threats or present a credible path forward for U.S. diplomacy in multilateral settings.
Rubin told host Ana Cabrera that the president address did not outline threats the United States faces or ways to counter them, and he emphasized that America s biggest threat, in his view, appeared to be renewable energy. In the address, Trump described renewable energy sources as "too expensive," a "joke" and something that "don t work," despite evidence showing that renewables are expected to meet a substantial portion of global electricity demand and are now cheaper than fossil fuels in many markets. "That s our number one concern, not nuclear weapons or terrorism or China s encroachment in Asia or Russia s war against Ukraine," Rubin said. "And so I just found it incredibly damaging to America s standing in the world, damaging to our national security strategy and damaging to how other countries are now going to deal with us which means they re just going to move further and further away as this kind of communication and leadership continues."
Moments after, Rubin noted Trump s mention of preferring to work with leaders who approve of him before adding that the president "hasn t gotten anywhere" with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and that there is no plan to stop wars in Gaza or Ukraine. "There s no meeting with the protagonists, with NATO, that comes out with core principles. There s no American backbone right now on either of these conflicts, and so we see ... just an overwhelming diminishment of our influence," he said. Rubin stressed that the UN is a voting body, and that the United States is losing votes "time and again," arguing that America needs to be a leader in resolving such conflicts. "The key point to remember is that the U.N. is a voting body," Rubin said, adding that the United States must demonstrate responsibility and staying power in global crises to maintain credibility at the bargaining table. "There s no American backbone right now on either of these conflicts, and so we see... just an overwhelming diminishment of our influence." 
The remarks come amid ongoing debates over how the United States should engage with international institutions and allies at a time of renewed geopolitical tensions. Rubin, who has advised Democratic policymakers on national security and foreign policy, argued that the United States needs to articulate a clear, multilateral strategy that addresses shared threats, reinforces the legitimacy of international bodies, and strengthens alliances. He urged Washington to present concrete plans on diplomacy, humanitarian aid, and defense collaboration to deter aggression and advance stability, rather than allowing unilateral messaging to erode trust among partners.
Trump s UNGA appearance, which highlighted his trademark combative style and grievance-focused rhetoric, drew a mixed reception domestically and abroad. Supporters argued it underscored a tough stance on global challenges and reduced dependence on multilateral agreements. Critics, such as Rubin, contended that the speech undermined longstanding U.S. commitments to collective security and climate cooperation, risking alienation of key partners and diminishing influence in negotiations on arms control, sanctions, and crisis response.
As the U.N. General Assembly session continued, lawmakers and foreign policy observers weighed the implications for U.S. diplomacy. Rubin s assessment underscored a broader concern among skeptics that the United States is at a crossroads regarding how to lead in a multipolar world while balancing domestic priorities and domestic political constraints. The debate over how to engage with the U.N. and other international institutions will likely shape the administration s messaging and policy moves in the weeks and months ahead.