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Donald Trump claimed he was a victim of ‘triple sabotage’ at the United Nations, citing the escalator stoppage, the teleprompter blackout, and sound failure during his speech.
Donald Trump addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025 (Photo: AP)
Donald Trump on Thursday claimed he was the target of “triple sabotage” at the United Nations, as he cited a series of technical failures during his visit, and demanded an investigation into the glitches. The US President also said the Secret Service was involved in the probe.
In a lengthy post on his Truth Social account, Trump described three “very sinister events” that he said unfolded during his appearance.
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“First, the escalator going up to the Main Speaking Floor came to a screeching halt. It stopped on a dime. It’s amazing that Melania and I didn’t fall forward onto the sharp edges of these steel steps, face first. It was only that we were each holding the handrail tightly or, it would have been a disaster,” he wrote.
Trump alleged the stoppage was intentional, pointing to what he said was a prior media report.
“This was absolutely sabotage, as noted by a day’s earlier ‘post’ in The London Times that said UN workers ‘joked about turning off an escalator’. The people who did it should be arrested!”
The US President went on to describe a teleprompter blackout as he began addressing world leaders.
“As I stood before a Television crowd of millions of people all over the World, and important Leaders in the Hall, my teleprompter didn’t work. It was stone cold dark. I immediately thought to myself, ‘Wow, first the escalator event, and now a bad teleprompter. What kind of a place is this?’”
He said he continued his remarks without a teleprompter for about 15 minutes until it came back online, adding, “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.”
Trump also alleged the sound system in the hall failed, preventing leaders from hearing his speech.
“After making the Speech, I was told that the 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 said even his wife could not hear him.
“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’.”
Calling the incidents “not a coincidence,” Trump concluded, “This wasn’t a coincidence, this was triple sabotage at the UN. They ought to be ashamed of themselves. I’m sending a copy of this letter to the Secretary General, and I demand an immediate investigation”
“All security tapes at the escalator should be saved, especially the emergency stop button. The Secret Service is involved,” Trump wrote.
In the incident that was captured live on camera and watched by millions around the world, including the visiting world leaders at the UN, the escalator near the Delegate’s entrance at the UN headquarters came to an abrupt halt soon after Trump and the First Lady stepped onto it as they made their way to the UN General Assembly hall on Tuesday morning (US local time).
The halt jolted the couple, who waited momentarily at the escalator and forced Melania Trump to walk up the stalled escalator, with the President following closely behind her.
As he began to speak at the General Assembly, the teleprompter did not work.
Soon after, the US President spoke about the teleprompter and escalator incident.
“Thank you very much. It’s always an honour to be here. We’ve done this before, and this was a little more exciting because of the escalator and the teleprompter. These things happen,” Trump said in his bilateral meeting with Guterres on Tuesday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that “if someone at the UN intentionally stopped the escalator as the President and First Lady were stepping on, they need to be fired and investigated immediately”.
Leavitt posted a screenshot of an article from The Times that said, “To mark Trump’s arrival, UN staff members have joked that they may turn off the escalators and elevators and simply tell him they ran out of money, so he has to walk up the stairs.”
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About the Author
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
September 25, 2025, 07:17 IST
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