INTERNATIONAL: Trump Demands Investigation into UN ‘Insult’
President Donald Trump didn’t hold back on Wednesday, venting his frustration over a trio of glitches that marred his United Nations General Assembly address the day before.
Posting on Truth Social, he labeled the mishaps as deliberate “sabotage” and fired off a letter to Secretary-General António Guterres, roping in the Secret Service for a deeper dive.
What started as a routine arrival turned into a string of headaches, leaving Trump convinced the UN owed him answers.
The fallout has sparked debates on everything from venue reliability to the optics of high-stakes diplomacy.
The Escalator Freeze
It kicked off right at the entrance: as Trump and First Lady Melania stepped onto the escalator, it ground to a halt, forcing them to climb the rest by hand.
Trump called it a near miss, quipping that without their fitness, it could have ended in a tumble onto the steel edges.
UN officials countered swiftly, pinning the stop on a safety feature triggered accidentally.
They pointed to a videographer from Trump’s own team, who had dashed back up ahead to capture footage and likely bumped the emergency button.
Teleprompter Blackout
Undeterred, Trump took the podium for his speech to world leaders, only to find the teleprompter blank for the first 15 minutes.
He powered through from notes, even turning it into a punchline that drew chuckles from the crowd.
In his post, Trump fumed that the delay felt too timed to be random, especially on top of the escalator fiasco.
The UN stayed mum on this one, noting that the White House typically handles its own display tech.
Sound System Static
The final twist came post-speech, when Melania reportedly confessed she hadn’t caught a word due to faulty audio in the hall.
Trump claimed the main system was “completely off,” leaving attendees reliant on interpreter headsets.
Videos suggest the audience heard him fine overall, reacting in real time to his barbs on global issues.
Still, Trump wrapped his rant by demanding preserved security footage and accountability, calling the whole affair a “real disgrace.”
Official Reactions and Next Steps
Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric kept it factual, emphasizing the escalator’s CPU log as proof of an innocent error.
Yet, under pressure from Trump and his team, Guterres’ office greenlit a full probe into all three incidents, pledging full cooperation.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the sabotage talk, hinting at prior UN staff chatter about pranks.
As the investigation unfolds, it’s a reminder of how small glitches can amplify in the glare of international spotlights.