WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was the victim of “three very sinister events” during his time at the United Nations on Tuesday and that the Secret Service will be looking into the issues.
The president was attending the U.N. General Assembly, where he gave a speech excoriating the institution for having squandered its potential. He also criticized U.S. allies in Europe for their handling of the Russian war in Ukraine and their acceptance of immigrants as he told fellow world leaders that their nations were “going to hell.”
On his social media website, Trump indicated that he was in a sour mood at the U.N. because of a trio of mishaps that he suggested was part of a conspiracy against him.
First, the escalator came to a “screeching halt” with Trump and his entourage on it, an event that Trump called “absolutely sabotage.”
Stephane Dujarric, the U.N. spokesman, said a videographer from the U.S. delegation who ran ahead of Trump may have “inadvertently” triggered the stop mechanism at the top of the escalator.
“The people that did it should be arrested,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Second, Trump said his teleprompter went “stone cold dark” during his address to the U.N. The problem with that accusation is the White House was responsible for operating the teleprompter for the president, according to a U.N. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Third, Trump said that the sound was off at the U.N. as he spoke and that people could only hear his remarks if they had interpreters speaking into earpieces. Trump said his wife, Melania, told him she couldn’t hear what he said.
“This wasn’t a coincidence, this was triple sabotage,” said Trump, who is seeking an investigation of the matter.
Trump told the U.N. to save its security tapes regarding the escalator stoppage as the Secret Service will be involved in the inquiry.
It's not unusual for escalators at the UN to stop working, as staff and visitors know quite well. In recent months, U.N. offices in New York and Geneva have intermittently turned off elevators and escalators as part of steps to save money because of a “liquidity crisis” at the world body. That’s due in part to delays in funding from the United States, which is the top donor of the world body.
President Donald Trump, center, and First Lady Melania Trump, upper right, walk up the escalator after it stalled as he rode up to the General Assembly Hall, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
President Donald Trump addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
