President Donald Trump has raised allegations of “triple sabotage” following a series of technical malfunctions during his recent appearance at the U.N. General Assembly in New York. These incidents have sparked an investigation, with the U.N. partially attributing the disruptions to the White House itself.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump expressed outrage over what he described as a “REAL DISGRACE” at the United Nations, highlighting three separate issues that arose during his visit: a malfunctioning escalator, a non-operational teleprompter, and sound system problems. “This wasn’t a coincidence,” he declared, demanding accountability from the U.N. and suggesting that such failures hinder the organization’s effectiveness.
The troubles began almost immediately as Trump and First Lady Melania Trump stepped onto the escalator. Video footage, dubbed “Escalatorgate” by some, shows the couple stranded for a brief moment before they opted to walk up the remaining stairs, gripping the handrails for stability.
As Trump took the podium to deliver his remarks, he discovered that the teleprompter was malfunctioning. While he attempted to downplay the issue by joking about the operator’s potential consequences, he noted the teleprompter’s failure, which elicited laughter from the audience. “All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle,” he said, quipping that had Melania not been in good shape, things could have ended poorly.
Despite the technical hiccups, Trump delivered a nearly hour-long speech in which he labeled global warming a hoax, criticized European immigration policies, and accused the U.N. of undermining Western nations. Historically, Trump has been a vocal critic of the U.N., having withdrawn the U.S. from key agencies like UNESCO and the Human Rights Council. However, he later stated his support for the U.N. during a meeting with Secretary-General António Guterres, emphasizing that the U.S. stands “behind the United Nations 100%.”
After the event, Trump appeared to shift his tone, claiming on Truth Social that the mishaps likely made his speech more engaging than it might have otherwise been. However, by Wednesday, he escalated his rhetoric, declaring the escalator incident “absolutely sabotage” and calling for those responsible to be arrested. “It was only that we were each holding the handrail tightly or it would have been a disaster,” he wrote.
A spokesperson for Guterres subsequently announced a thorough investigation into the incidents, with the U.N. expressing readiness to cooperate transparently with U.S. authorities. “He conveyed that the U.N. is ready to cooperate in full transparency with relevant U.S. authorities on this matter to determine what caused the incidents referred to by the United States,” the spokesperson stated.
In the aftermath, the U.N. clarified that the escalator’s stoppage was likely an accident caused by a videographer from the U.S. delegation, who inadvertently triggered a safety feature while filming the Trumps’ arrival. The escalator’s central processing unit indicated that the safety mechanism had been activated, leading to the halt.
Regarding the teleprompter, the White House claimed U.N. staff prevented them from setting it up before Trump’s speech, forcing them to scramble to fix it as he began speaking. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz demanded a detailed explanation for the teleprompter’s failure and called for the U.N. to share the results of their internal investigation regarding the escalator incident, including whether any foul play was involved.
While Trump alleged that world leaders could not hear his speech unless they used interpreters’ earpieces, a U.N. official explained that the sound system was designed to allow translations into six different languages, which might have affected the volume heard by the audience.
The escalating tensions surrounding these incidents have raised concerns among U.N. staff, particularly following inflammatory comments from some Trump administration officials and media personalities suggesting drastic measures against the U.N. Such remarks have prompted worries about the safety and security of individuals at the organization.
As investigations continue, the focus remains on understanding the full context of the day’s events, with both the U.N. and the U.S. government under scrutiny for their roles in the series of malfunctions that have captivated public attention.
