Trump's Visit to the UN: United Nations Want to Prevent a New "Escalator Gate"
Trump's appearance at the United Nations a year ago caused quite a stir. The US president spoke of "sabotage" – partly because an escalator suddenly stopped. This time, none of that is supposed to happen again.
US President Donald Trump is not exactly known as a fan of the United Nations. He repeatedly criticizes the UN and calls it dysfunctional. But there is more to it than that. His visit to the UN General Assembly a year ago also left a lasting – negative – impression on the US president.
Because an escalator suddenly stopped and the teleprompter failed during Trump's speech, the US president accused the UN of "sabotaging" his appearance. Today, during Trump's next visit, that is not supposed to happen again.
Escalators "thoroughly inspected"
Every effort is being made to prevent a repeat debacle, and apparently nothing is being left to chance. "They have been repeatedly and thoroughly inspected," said the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, referring to the escalators in the building.
The UN also turned its attention to the teleprompter from which the US president reads his speech. The device had failed during Trump's address the previous year. "New arrangements have been made to facilitate the US delegation's use of the teleprompter," the spokesperson said. "We hope that everything will run smoothly." UN Secretary-General Guterres is looking forward to hearing the US president's speech.
Last year, Trump's teleprompter had temporarily failed.
Trump demanded the "arrest" of those responsible
The escalator had stopped last year as Trump and his wife Melania stepped onto it. The couple was forced to climb the steps on foot.
The incident so enraged Trump that he subsequently demanded the "arrest" of those responsible. "It is a miracle that Melania and I did not fall face-first onto the sharp edges of those steel stairs," he said about the incident. Just last week, he once again accused the UN of having deliberately "shut down" the escalator.
Dissatisfaction with the sound system as well
The UN had already set the record straight on Trump's claims a year ago. According to their account, the teleprompter was operated by White House staff themselves. The escalator had stopped because someone accidentally triggered a safety switch – presumably a video reporter who was trying to film Trump and his wife.
Trump had also complained about problems with the sound system. He claimed his one-hour address had not been easy to hear. Regarding the alleged problem, a UN representative explained that the system is designed to allow General Assembly participants to follow speeches in six different languages via interpretation through their headphones.
Last year, Trump had used his speech at the General Assembly to deliver fundamental criticism of the United Nations and to dispute their international significance. "No wonder the United Nations has been unable to fulfill the task for which it was founded," he wrote after the technical incident on his online platform Truth Social.
