New York/Washington: US President Donald Trump has demanded an investigation into three “sinister events” at the UN headquarters, including an escalator breaking down while he and First Lady Melania Trump were on it, describing them as “triple sabotage”.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, he also 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!” Trump said.
The first incident was when the escalator going up to the main speaking floor came to a “screeching halt” shortly after the First Lady and Trumps 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 behind the incident should be arrested.
Then, as Trump came on the UNGA podium to deliver his address to the General Debate of the 80th UN General Assembly session, the teleprompter broke. “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 proceeded to deliver his 57-minute speech without a teleprompter, which started working 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 said. Thirdly, Trump said that he was told, after he finished delivering his speech, that the sound was completely off in the UN General Assembly hall and the world leaders couldn’t hear a thing unless they used the 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 these incidents were not a coincidence but a “triple sabotage at the UN” and the organisation ought to be “ashamed” of itself.
“I’m sending a copy of this letter to the Secretary General, and I demand an immediate investigation. No wonder the United Nations hasn’t been able to do the job that they were put in existence to do.”