Trump Urges Probe After Technical Problems at U.N. General Assembly

President Donald Trump has called for an investigation after a series of technical malfunctions disrupted his visit to the United Nations General Assembly this week. The U.S. Secret Service and U.N. officials have each offered differing explanations for the events.

On September 23, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrived at U.N. headquarters via an escalator. Video footage showed the escalator halting abruptly as they ascended, causing a brief delay. The White House described the incident as suspicious, while U.N. officials said a safety mechanism had been triggered. A U.N. spokesperson later explained that a videographer moving backward near the top may have set off the automatic stop.

Shortly after taking the podium, Trump’s prepared remarks were interrupted when his teleprompter malfunctioned. The president paused before continuing, later pointing to the failure as part of what he called a series of unusual disruptions. According to U.N. representatives, the teleprompter system in the hall was managed by Trump’s own staff, not by U.N. personnel.

Trump also suggested there were audio issues affecting his audience during the speech. While White House officials included this among their concerns, U.N. staff did not publicly confirm any such malfunction.

Trump and his aides characterized the three incidents as potentially coordinated and called for them to be investigated as possible sabotage. The White House confirmed that the Secret Service had been asked to review the matter, and requests were made to preserve security footage.

U.N. officials rejected suggestions of foul play. They maintained that the escalator stoppage was a safety response and reiterated that the teleprompter was not under their control.

As of Thursday, no independent evidence has been presented to show intentional interference. Reporting from multiple outlets noted the contrasting accounts: the White House raising the prospect of deliberate disruption and the U.N. pointing to technical explanations.

Sources: BBC News, The Washington Post, Al Jazeera, Reuters, CNN