Trump demands investigation into UN 'triple sabotage' after escalator, teleprompter, and audio glitches

Trump demands probe into UN 'triple sabotage'

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for an investigation into what he described as “triple sabotage” after an escalator, teleprompter, and sound system malfunctioned during his appearance at the United Nations General Assembly.

“This wasn’t a coincidence, this was triple sabotage at the UN,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “I'm sending a copy of this letter to the Secretary General, and I demand an immediate investigation.”

He cited three incidents: an escalator abruptly stopping while he and First Lady Melania Trump were on it, a teleprompter glitch at the start of his speech, and audio issues in the assembly hall.

Escalatorgate

“It’s amazing that Melania and I didn’t fall forward onto the sharp edges of these steel steps, face first,” Trump wrote. “It was only that we were each holding the handrail tightly or, it would have been a disaster.”

Trump said he was forced to rely on printed remarks until the teleprompter resumed about 15 minutes into his address, while the sound system “was completely off.”

“A REAL DISGRACE took place at the United Nations yesterday — Not one, not two, but three very sinister events!” Trump declared. “They ought to be ashamed of themselves.”

He added, “All security tapes at the escalator should be saved, especially the emergency stop button. The Secret Service is involved.”

The United Nations, however, rejected suggestions of foul play. Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said a videographer from Trump’s delegation “may have inadvertently triggered the safety function” on the escalator, causing it to stop.

“Our technician, who was at the location, reset the escalator as soon as the delegation had climbed up to the second floor,” Dujarric noted.

Teleporomter 

He further addressed the teleprompter glitch, saying, “I then proceeded to make a Speech without a teleprompter, which kicked in about 15 minutes later. The good news is the Speech has gotten fantastic reviews.”

“Maybe they appreciated the fact that very few people could have done what I did,” he added.

Audio issues

Trump also spoke about the third glitch he encountered during his address, noting that “sound was completely off in the Auditorium where the Speech was made, that World Leaders, unless they used the interpreters’ earpieces, couldn’t hear a thing.”

He recalled, “The first person I saw at the conclusion of the Speech was Melania, who was sitting right up front. I said, ‘How did I do?’ And she said, ‘I couldn’t hear a word you said.’”

A UN source told the Associated Press that the teleprompter malfunction was linked to a White House staffer operating it, while the UN had no role in the issue.