Donald Trump Claims ‘Triple Sabotage’ at UN — Shares Melania’s Private Words After Speech
Following his address at the UN General Assembly on September 23, former President Donald Trump alleged he was “triple sabotaged” during his time at the podium, sharing what First Lady Melania Trump told him afterward.
Speaking for over an hour, Trump criticized open-border policies, disparaged UN initiatives, celebrated his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, and called out “so-called green, renewable energy” for “destroying a large part of the free world and a large part of our planet.” He also took aim at London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
In addition to policy criticisms, Trump joked about the venue itself, highlighting a “bad teleprompter” and a “bad escalator,” referencing a previous escalator incident with Melania.
“If the First Lady wasn’t in great shape, she would’ve fallen,” he quipped.
On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump detailed the incidents he claimed amounted to sabotage:
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Escalator Malfunction: “The escalator going up to the Main Speaking Floor came to a screeching halt. It’s amazing Melania and I didn’t fall face-first.”
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Teleprompter Failure: “As I stood before millions of viewers and world leaders, my teleprompter didn’t work. It was stone cold dark.”
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Sound Issues: Trump alleged that the audio was off, leaving many world leaders unable to hear him without interpreters.
After the speech, Trump recounted asking Melania for her opinion. She reportedly replied, “I couldn’t hear a word you said.”
“This wasn’t a coincidence — this was triple sabotage at the UN. They ought to be ashamed of themselves,” Trump said.
Trump stated he would request an urgent inquiry from the UN Secretary-General and noted that the Secret Service is reviewing all security footage, especially at the escalator.
The UN responded, clarifying that a White House videographer “accidentally triggered a safety mechanism,” which likely caused the escalator to stop. The system is designed to prevent people or objects from getting caught in the machinery, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told NBC News.
Dujarric confirmed a thorough investigation will be conducted into all three issues — the escalator, teleprompter, and hall acoustics — and emphasized that the UN is ready to cooperate fully to determine the cause of the malfunctions.