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MECHANICHAL mishaps that disrupted former US President Donald Trump’s appearance at the United Nations General Assembly this week have been traced back to members of his own delegation, despite his claims of broader institutional failure.
AP reported on Thursday that Trump had veered off script during his speech on Tuesday, saying he received “an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle” and a teleprompter that had gone dark. He used the incidents to characterise the UN as dysfunctional, declaring, “All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that stopped.”
However, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the malfunctioning escalator was likely halted after a member of Trump’s video crew triggered a safety mechanism at the top.
“The safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing,” said Dujarric. “The videographer may have inadvertently triggered the safety function.”
As for the malfunctioning teleprompter, a UN official familiar with the situation noted that it had been under the control of the White House, not the United Nations. Speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter, the official clarified that the UN was not responsible for the device’s operation.
Despite Trump’s jibes, such as joking that the teleprompter operator was “in big trouble”, there is no indication that either issue was caused by malice or institutional failure.
It is also not unusual for mechanical equipment at the UN to fail. In recent months, the UN’s New York and Geneva offices have occasionally deactivated escalators and lifts as part of cost-saving measures amid an ongoing “liquidity crisis”.
Ironically, the financial strain facing the UN is partly due to delayed payments from the United States — historically its largest contributor. - September 25, 2025