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‘Triple sabotage’: Trump calls for arrest over 'sinister' tech glitches at UN
Trump referred to three incidents which included a stalled escalator, a malfunctioning teleprompter, and sound issues at UN General Assembly.
US President Donald Trump has called for an investigation into three “sinister events” at the United Nations headquarters, describing them as a “triple sabotage” during his visit to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
The incidents, which included a stalled escalator, a malfunctioning teleprompter, and sound issues in the Assembly hall, were highlighted by Trump as deliberate attempts to undermine his appearance.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump said the UN should be “ashamed” of itself. “A REAL DISGRACE took place at the United Nations yesterday — Not one, not two, but three very sinister events!” he wrote.
The first incident occurred when the escalator leading to the main speaking floor came to a “screeching halt” shortly after he and First Lady Melania Trump stepped onto it.
“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. This was absolutely sabotage,” Trump said, adding that those responsible should be arrested.
As he began his address to the 80th UN General Assembly session, the teleprompter failed. “Then, 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.
Trump delivered a 57-minute speech without the teleprompter, which resumed functioning about 15 minutes later.
“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,” he added.
The third issue, according to Trump, was that the sound system in the UN General Assembly hall was allegedly off after his speech, preventing world leaders from hearing him unless they used interpreters’ earpieces.
“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,’” Trump said.
Trump said that the three incidents were not coincidental, calling them a “triple sabotage at the UN.” He said he had sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General demanding an immediate investigation and asked that “all security tapes at the escalator should be saved, especially the emergency stop button. The Secret Service is involved.”
With PTI inputs
