Trump Demands UN Probe into “Triple Sabotage” During His General Assembly Speech

Erbil (Kurdistan24) – U.S. President Donald Trump has accused the United Nations of orchestrating a “triple sabotage” against him during his address to the 80th General Assembly in New York, demanding an immediate investigation into what he described as deliberate technical failures that marred his appearance.

The sequence began on Tuesday when Trump and First Lady Melania arrived at UN headquarters. Footage showed the 79-year-old president and the First Lady stepping onto the main escalator before it suddenly halted with a jolt, forcing them to walk the remainder of the way. Trump later wrote on his Truth Social platform that the malfunction nearly caused them to fall forward onto “the sharp edges of these steel steps” and insisted it could not have been an accident. “This was absolutely sabotage,” he declared, referencing a report in The London Times that cited UN staff joking about shutting off the escalator.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric sought to calm the uproar, explaining that “a videographer from the U.S. delegation may have inadvertently triggered the safety function.” The Secret Service, however, has opened its own review to corroborate the UN’s account, according to an official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.

The disruption did not end there. As Trump stood before world leaders and millions watching on television, his teleprompter went completely dark. Forced to continue without it, the U.S. president delivered his remarks for 15 minutes unaided before the system came back online. Trump later claimed the failure was part of the same scheme to undermine him. “First the escalator event, and now a bad teleprompter. What kind of place is this?” he recounted, though he boasted that his improvised delivery drew “fantastic reviews.”

Dujarric dismissed responsibility for the glitch, clarifying that the teleprompter was operated by the White House, not UN staff. Still, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz demanded a full explanation of the malfunction and called for “robust preventive measures” to ensure such failures do not recur.

Trump said the final blow came after he concluded his remarks. He was informed that the sound system in the hall had been cut, leaving world leaders unable to hear him unless they were plugged into interpreters’ earpieces. “The first person I saw 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.’ This wasn’t a coincidence, this was triple sabotage,” Trump charged.

A UN official, speaking anonymously, countered that the audio system was functioning as designed, explaining that delegates rely on earpieces to hear speeches simultaneously translated into six languages.

In a strongly worded statement on X, Ambassador Waltz insisted that the U.S. expects “swift cooperation and decisive action” from the UN, warning that “the United States will not tolerate threats to our security or dignity at international forums.” He formally requested the “complete results” of the investigation into the escalator failure as well as a “detailed explanation” of the teleprompter malfunction.

Trump, for his part, vowed to send a copy of his protest letter to Secretary-General António Guterres, declaring: “No wonder the United Nations hasn’t been able to do the job that they were put in existence to do.” He further demanded that all security tapes, especially those covering the emergency stop button on the escalator, be preserved.

The cascade of technical mishaps overshadowed Trump’s address itself, which veered into a broadside against the UN, Europe, migration policies, and climate change warnings. His tone resembled more an indictment of the institution than a policy speech. Still, Trump presented the controversies as proof of his resilience, declaring that few leaders could have delivered a speech under such conditions.

For now, the matter remains under dual review by the Secret Service and the UN Secretariat. What Trump framed as “a real disgrace” has placed the United Nations under sharp scrutiny, while Washington insists that the dignity of its highest office must not be compromised in the international arena.