Former President Donald Trump faced several disruptions during his Sept. 23 appearance at the United Nations General Assembly. He cited an escalator malfunction, a teleprompter issue, and an alleged sound outage in the auditorium as evidence of what he called “triple sabotage.”
Escalator Incident Explained
According to U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, the escalator incident was investigated. Findings showed that a U.S. delegation videographer, filming Trump’s arrival while walking backward, may have inadvertently triggered a built-in safety mechanism at the top of the escalator, causing it to stop.
Teleprompter Dispute
Trump also blamed the U.N. for a faulty teleprompter, but officials clarified that the White House had been operating its own equipment. Reuters and the Associated Press both reported, citing unnamed U.N. officials, that the organization’s teleprompters were functioning normally.
After Trump’s remarks, General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock publicly affirmed that “the U.N. teleprompters are working perfectly.”
Sound Issues in the Auditorium
Trump further alleged that “the sound was completely off” during his speech, preventing world leaders from hearing unless they used interpreter earpieces.
Reports from TRT World confirmed microphone failures also affected other leaders, including those from Canada and Indonesia. U.N. officials stressed there was “no indication” these problems were intentional.
Calls for Investigation
Despite the explanations, Trump and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz called for an investigation, with Waltz warning that such lapses pose “serious safety and security risks.” Trump demanded arrests, though no evidence of deliberate sabotage has been presented.
