'Very sinister events': Trump demands probe after 'triple sabotage' at UN, says Secret Service is involved - Here's all you need to know

US President Donald Trump has accused the United Nations of sabotage after three technical problems disrupted his arrival and speech at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. He said the Secret Service is now looking into what he called “three very sinister events”, an escalator malfunction, a teleprompter failure and audio problems in the assembly hall.

Trump said he will write to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and has asked for “an immediate investigation.” He called the incidents a “REAL DISGRACE” and insisted they were not accidents. “This wasn’t a coincidence, this was triple sabotage at the UN. They ought to be ashamed of themselves,” he wrote on Truth Social. “All security tapes at the escalator should be saved, especially the emergency stop button. The Secret Service is involved,” he added.

What happened on the escalator?

The first problem occurred as Trump and the first lady descended an escalator after arriving at the General Assembly. The escalator stopped and briefly put the couple in an awkward position. Trump later said it was “amazing that Melania and I didn’t fall forward onto the sharp edges of these steel steps, face first.” He blamed the incident on deliberate action and demanded those responsible be arrested, “The people that did it should be arrested!”

A UN official, however, offered a different explanation. In a statement the UN said a videographer from the US delegation who was moving backward at the top of the escalator “may have inadvertently triggered” a safety mechanism. The UN did not confirm any malicious intent.

What went wrong with the teleprompter and sound?

Trump also complained about problems with the teleprompter and the hall’s audio during his address. He joked on stage after the teleprompter failed, “These are the two things I got from the United Nations, a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter.” He later said the teleprompter was “stone cold dark” during his speech. He added that he learned only after the event that “the sound was completely off,” meaning delegates could hear him only if they used their interpreters’ earpieces. Trump said these three separate failures together convinced him the incidents were deliberate.

What has the UN said?

The UN has not suggested sabotage. Its brief response focused on the escalator safety stop and pointed to the videographer’s possible role. The organisation has not commented publicly on the teleprompter or audio problems beyond standard technical explanations.

Why did Trump call it sabotage?

Trump cast the trio of problems as coordinated, writing that it was “only that we were each holding the handrail tightly or, it would have been a disaster.” He said he would press for a full review and wants access to security footage around the escalator.