US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the Secret Service was investigating what he described as “sabotage” at the United Nations, alleging that an escalator malfunction, a teleprompter failure and sound problems disrupted his appearance at the world body a day earlier.
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Trump, in a social media post, said an escalator carrying him and his wife Melania “came to a screeching halt” on the way to the main floor, nearly causing them to fall. He called for the arrest of whoever was responsible.
He also said his teleprompter went dark at the start of his speech and that world leaders in the hall could not hear him because the sound system had failed.
“Not one, not two, but three very sinister events!” Trump wrote.
UN officials have said the escalator’s built-in safety mechanism had been triggered and that the teleprompter was operated by the White House, not the organisation.
Calling the series of events “triple sabotage,” Trump said he had asked the UN to preserve security camera footage and demanded an investigation. He said the Secret Service was looking into the matter.