Trump alleges 'triple sabotage' at U.N.; Secret Service to investigate
At the U.N. General Assembly, three technical problems — an escalator stoppage, a teleprompter blackout and audio loss — led President Trump to call the incidents "triple sabotage," demand arrests on social media and say the Secret Service will investigate while asking the U.N. to preserve security footage. U.N. spokespeople and officials disputed that account, saying a U.S. videographer likely triggered the escalator’s safety mechanism and that the White House operated the teleprompter; Secretary‑General António Guterres ordered a U.N. probe and the U.N. said it will cooperate with U.S. authorities as technicians inspected and reset the escalator.
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📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
Playbook: Trump vs. the world
"Politico Playbook previews Trump’s UNGA address as a combative anti‑globalist speech delivered to a more wary world, highlighting likely targets and the altered global context since his first term."
📰 Sources (12)
How escalator safety mechanisms work — and why they cause machines to stop
New information:
- U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said a White House videographer may have triggered an upper comb safety feature that stops an escalator to prevent entrapment.
- Escalator experts explain the 'comb impact switch' and multiple micro‑switch safety systems designed to stop escalators if shoes or objects are caught, and say a reset by technicians is routine after such an event.
- Technicians inspected and reset the escalator after the American delegation reached the second floor, per U.N. spokesman quote.
Trump is accusing the U.N. of 'sabotage.' The U.N. says Trump's team is to blame
New information:
- U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres ordered a thorough investigation into the incidents and the U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the U.N. will cooperate fully with U.S. authorities.
- Specific account that the escalator stopped while the president and first lady were riding it on arrival and that the teleprompter initially failed during his U.N. speech; Trump publicly called for arrests and labeled the events 'triple sabotage' on Truth Social.
- Location and context clarified: incidents occurred at the U.N. Headquarters during the 80th U.N. General Assembly session (New York), with the president delivering an extended speech after the technical problems.
Trump says he was victim of 'triple sabotage' at UN and Secret Service is looking into the matter
New information:
- President Trump said on his social platform that three separate failures (escalator stoppage, teleprompter blackout, and audio loss) amounted to 'triple sabotage.'
- Trump said the Secret Service will be involved in investigating the incidents and asked the U.N. to preserve security footage.
- Trump posted direct accusations on Truth Social including the line 'The people that did it should be arrested,' framing the events as intentional rather than accidental.
World leaders laugh, squirm as Trump blasts UN on climate, Ukraine, Gaza at General Assembly
New information:
- Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže’s on-the-record reaction praising parts of the speech and emphasizing Europe still values the U.N.
- Anecdotal detail that Trump’s teleprompter failed and he riffed from notes, drawing audible laughter and visible squirming in the assembly
- Direct quoted lines mocking climate change as 'the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world' included in this account
UN says Trump's team to blame for nonworking escalator and teleprompter
New information:
- U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said a U.S. delegation videographer who ran ahead triggered the escalator's safety mechanism, causing it to stop in the middle.
- A U.N. official (speaking anonymously) said the White House was operating the teleprompter for the president, contradicting an implication it was the U.N.'s fault.
- The article notes U.N. offices in New York and Geneva have intermittently turned off elevators and escalators recently as cost-saving measures tied to a 'liquidity crisis' that includes delays in funding from the United States.
Trump suggests Ukraine could reclaim territory from Russia
New information:
- Adds that, within the UNGA speech, Trump explicitly said Ukraine could win back territory occupied or annexed by Russia since 2014—an element not detailed in the existing UNGA speech write‑up.
Trump scolds European nations over immigration policies during major UN address
New information:
- Trump used his UNGA address to scold European nations over immigration policies, calling inflows an 'invasion' and saying the UN should 'stop invasions, not create them and not finance them.'
- He urged countries to 'take their own stand' to defend citizens and said the U.S. rejects mass migration that 'tramples our borders' and 'depletes our social safety net.'
- Trump said NATO countries should shoot down Russian jets if they enter their airspace.
- He compared Europe’s situation to the U.S. border under the Biden administration and referenced ongoing mass deportations as part of his agenda.
Trump brings American culture wars to the global stage at the UN
New information:
- Trump framed mass immigration and 'green energy' as the two key global threats and urged countries to abandon the 'green energy scam.'
- He labeled climate change a 'global warming hoax' and said high costs of immigration and green energy are 'destroying much of our world.'
- Claimed he has 'ended seven unendable wars' in eight months, citing Israel–Iran, Cambodia–Thailand, and Rwanda–DRC disputes.
- Declared the U.S. is in a 'golden age' and 'the hottest country anywhere in the world,' adding 'no other country is even close.'
- Said 'everyone' believes he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize; included jocular asides about a faulty teleprompter and a stopped escalator that drew laughter.
- Delivered sharp lines such as 'If you don’t get away from the green energy scam, your country is going to fail' and 'Your countries are going to hell.'
7 key moments from Trump’s U.N. speech
New information:
- Trump said the UN is 'not even coming close to living up' to its potential and derided 'empty words,' while later telling the UN secretary‑general the U.S. is 'behind the United Nations 100%.'
- He threatened 'a strong round of powerful tariffs' on Russia if the Ukraine invasion continues and urged European nations to stop importing Russian oil.
- He criticized recent recognitions of a Palestinian state by the U.K., Canada, Australia, Portugal and France, calling them a 'reward' for Hamas and a move that would 'encourage continued conflict.'
- He vowed to blow drug cartels 'out of existence' despite also touting peace, underscoring contradictions flagged in the speech.
- He opened by noting a teleprompter malfunction and mocked a 'bad escalator,' adding color about the delivery and tone of the address.
Windmills, wars and marble floors: 10 topics Trump hit in meandering UN speech
New information:
- Trump praised El Salvador for 'receiving and jailing' migrants deported from the U.S., referencing its notorious CECOT prison, and warned illegal entrants they will go to jail, be sent back, or 'perhaps even further.'
- He said the U.N. 'wasn't there for us' in multiple negotiations and joked he got 'a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter' from the UN.
- He repeated attacks on 'windmills' and 'green renewable energy,' cast climate change as a hoax, and linked immigration to destroying countries' 'heritage.'
- He called for ending the war in Ukraine, said he thought it would be easy due to his relationship with Putin, and endorsed a Gaza cease-fire, while warning about Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.
- Trump revived his Nobel Peace Prize theme ('everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize') but said he cares about saving lives, not prizes.
- He digressed into topics including cows, domestic crime, real estate, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and former President Joe Biden, and reminisced about UN building renovations, lamenting terrazzo floors instead of marble.
Trump to give 'tough talk' on globalism 'failures,' while highlighting 'return of American strength' at UNGA
New information:
- White House official says Trump will deliver 'blunt' and 'tough talk' on the 'failures of globalism,' specifically calling out the global migration regime, energy and climate.
- Speech will highlight specific peace efforts the administration claims credit for, including Armenia–Azerbaijan, Thailand–Cambodia, and Rwanda–DRC.
- Trump will tout recent U.S. kinetic strikes on alleged Venezuelan 'narcoterrorists' and revisit June’s 'Operation Midnight Hammer' B‑2 strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
- Scheduling detail: address set for Tuesday just before 10 a.m. ET at the UN General Assembly.
- Quote from a White House official framing the address as showcasing 'the return of American strength' and 'delivering peace on a scale that no other president has accomplished.'
Trump to take aim at 'globalist institutions,' make case for his foreign policy record in UN speech
New information:
- White House preview says Trump will spotlight 'renewal of American strength' and critique of global institutions
- Planned bilaterals: UN Secretary‑General, Ukraine, Argentina, European Union
- Planned group meeting: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, UAE, Jordan; reception with 100+ leaders