The president was highlighting US gains under his watch as he opened his address to the UN general assembly on Tuesday.

Trump said the American economy was "booming like never before" and that his administration has accomplished more in under two years than almost any other administration.

His boast elicited laughter from the scores of heads of state and delegates in the audience for the speech.

Trump, who has long claimed that his predecessors' weak leadership prompted other nations "to laugh" at the US, appeared flustered and responded, "I didn't expect that reaction, but that's OK".

Trump says the US is a "stronger, safer and richer country" than when he took office in January 2017.

"We are standing up for America and for the American people, and we are also standing up for the world," he said.

Some in the audience also grumbled during Trump's remarks when he said "we reject the ideology" of globalism and criticised nations such as Germany for agreeing to an oil pipeline with Russia.

Australian Associated Press