Following his passionate and lengthy address at the United Nations General Assembly, former President Donald Trump publicly disclosed the exact words that First Lady Melania Trump shared with him immediately after his speech. These personal remarks from Melania reportedly motivated Trump to initiate a formal investigation into what he described as a “triple sabotage” during the event.
On Tuesday, September 23, 2025, the 79-year-old former president spoke for over an hour before an international audience at the UN General Assembly. Throughout his speech, Trump expressed strong dissatisfaction with current global immigration policies. He urged countries around the world to “end the failed experiment of open borders,” warning that those who continued to maintain such policies were effectively “going to hell.”
Trump’s address also included harsh criticism of various United Nations initiatives. He used the opportunity to commend his previous decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement. Furthermore, he condemned what he called “so-called green, renewable energy” programs, arguing that they were responsible for “destroying a large part of the free world and a large part of our planet.” His speech also included an attack on London Mayor Sadiq Khan, whom he disparaged in unflattering terms.
In an unusual and somewhat offbeat part of his speech, Trump commented on technical difficulties he experienced at the venue. He singled out the escalator leading to the speaking platform, calling it “bad,” and also complained about the teleprompter’s failure to function properly. He referenced a previous incident in which the escalator malfunctioned as he and his wife, Melania, attempted to ascend to the stage. “If the First Lady wasn’t in great shape, she would’ve fallen,” he joked, drawing some laughter from the audience.
After leaving the stage, Trump took to his own social media platform, Truth Social, where he expressed his genuine frustration and anger regarding the day’s events. He described the entire experience as “complete sabotage,” implying that the technical problems were not mere coincidences.
He detailed the first incident as the escalator abruptly coming to a screeching halt while carrying him and Melania up to the main speaking floor. Trump wrote, “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.”
The second problem, according to Trump, was that his teleprompter failed to work at a critical moment. “Then, as I stood before a television audience of millions of people worldwide, as well as important world leaders gathered in the hall, my teleprompter didn’t work. It was stone cold dark,” he explained.
Finally, Trump claimed that the audio system was also malfunctioning. He alleged that the sound was off, making it impossible for anyone in the General Assembly hall to hear his speech. “World leaders, unless they were using the interpreters’ earpieces, couldn’t hear a thing,” he said. After finishing his remarks, Trump recalled going to speak with Melania, who was seated in the front row. He asked her, “How did I do?” She reportedly responded with concern, saying, “I couldn’t hear a word you said.”
Based on these three separate incidents—the escalator stopping, the teleprompter failing, and the sound being off—Trump concluded that the events were no accident, but instead amounted to deliberate sabotage. He called it “triple sabotage” and said, “They ought to be ashamed of themselves.”
The former president further stated that he plans to send a formal letter to the UN Secretary-General, demanding an urgent investigation into the matter. He also mentioned that the United States Secret Service is already involved. Trump requested that all security camera footage related to the escalator, especially recordings of the emergency stop button, be secured and reviewed as part of the investigation.
In response to Trump’s allegations, the United Nations issued a statement explaining that the escalator was halted because a White House videographer “accidentally triggered a safety mechanism.” According to UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, the escalator has built-in safety features designed to prevent people or objects from being caught in the machinery.
While the UN dismissed claims that the escalator was intentionally turned off, Dujarric confirmed that a “thorough investigation” will be conducted regarding all three incidents Trump described. This includes examining the cause of the teleprompter malfunction, the reason for the escalator stopping, and whether there were any issues related to the sound system in the General Assembly hall during the speech. Dujarric added that the UN is “ready to cooperate with full transparency” to determine the facts behind these technical difficulties and to ensure that such problems do not happen again during future high-profile addresses.
