Trump claims ‘sabotage’ at U.N. from escalator, teleprompter and mic

Trump claims ‘sabotage’ at U.N. from escalator, teleprompter and mic


U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive for the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) on Sept. 23, 2025 in New York City.

Alexi J. Rosenfeld | Getty Images

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that he was the victim of a “triple sabotage” at the United Nations a day earlier, where an escalator, teleprompter and microphone all failed to work for him.

“A REAL DISGRACE took place at the United Nations yesterday — Not one, not two, but three very sinister events!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

“This wasn’t a coincidence, this was triple sabotage at the UN,” wrote Trump, whose post was tweeted by the White House.

Trump, who said he was sending his post to the U.N.’s secretary general to demand an investigation, wrote that an escalator he and First Lady Melania Trump were boarding at the U.N. on Tuesday “came to a screeching halt” as he headed to make a speech to the General Assembly.

 “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,” Trump wrote. “It was only that we were each holding the handrail tightly or, it would have been a disaster.”

“All security tapes at the escalator should be saved, especially the emergency stop button. The Secret Service is involved,” he wrote.

U.S. President Donald Trump (C) and first lady Melania Trump (R) walk up an escalator as they arrive to the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters on September 23, 2025 in New York City.

Alexi J. Rosenfeld | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Then, Trump’s teleprompter did not work for the first portion of that speech, forcing him to read from paper for 15 minutes until the machine kicked in.

“The good news is the Speech has gotten fantastic reviews,” Trump wrote. “Maybe they appreciated the fact that very few people could have done what I did.”

But unfortunately for some people in the room, the president noted, “after making the Speech, I was told that the sound was completely off in the Auditorium where the Speech was made.”

“World Leaders, unless they used the interpreters’ earpieces, couldn’t hear a thing,” Trump wrote.

“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.'”

Read more CNBC politics coverage

A UN official told the Associated Press on Tuesday that a person traveling with Trump inadvertently hit the stop lever on the escalator.

Trump’s post on Wednesday noted that The Times, a British newspaper, over the weekend reported that U.N. employees “joked about turning off an escalator” before his appearance there.

“The people that did it should be arrested!, Trump wrote.

U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 23, 2025.

Mike Segar | Reuters

“I’m sending a copy of this letter to the Secretary General, and I demand an immediate investigation,” Trump wrote.

“No wonder the United Nations hasn’t been able to do the job that they were put in existence to do.”



Source

White House says Trump will meet Xi in China in May
Politics

White House says Trump will meet Xi in China in May

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping as they hold a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters A long-awaited meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will […]

Read More
Prediction markets’ new insider-trading restrictions aren’t enough, bipartisan senators say
Politics

Prediction markets’ new insider-trading restrictions aren’t enough, bipartisan senators say

A pair of bipartisan senators on Wednesday said they’re keeping their push to ban sports prediction market contracts, despite Kalshi and Polymarket announcing new insider-trading restrictions on their platforms. “It’s got to be more than an aspirational statement by these companies,” Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” when asked about those platforms’ self-imposed […]

Read More
Sen. Warren: DOD answers show no anti-corruption protocols for Trump children
Politics

Sen. Warren: DOD answers show no anti-corruption protocols for Trump children

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., talks with reporters after a Senate Armed Services Committee closed briefing on the Iran war, in the Capitol Visitor Center on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Sen. Elizabeth Warren said the Department of Defense has no plan to stop President Donald Trump’s family […]

Read More