U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump ride an escalator as they arrive to attend the 80th United Nations General Assembly, in New York City, New York, U.S., September 23, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

President Donald Trump on Wednesday lashed out at the United Nations after an escalator in the building stalled and a teleprompter malfunctioned at the start of his speech on Tuesday.

Officials at the U.N. pointed out the escalator issue was caused by a member of Trump’s staff, not the building itself. The stalled ride was reportedly triggered when Trump’s own staffer, filming the moment, stood in the way of the machine’s sensors.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: "A REAL DISGRACE took place at the United Nations yesterday — Not one, not two, but three very sinister events! First, the escalator going up to the Main Speaking Floor came to a screeching halt. It stopped on a dime. It’s amazing that Melania and I didn’t fall forward onto the sharp edges of these steel steps, face first. It was only that we were each holding the handrail tightly or, it would have been a disaster."

He continued: "This was absolutely sabotage, as noted by a day’s earlier 'post' in The London Times that said UN workers 'joked about turning off an escalator.' The people that did it should be arrested!"

The president also complained about technical issues during his speech.

"Then, as I stood before a Television crowd of millions of people all over the World, and important Leaders in the Hall, my teleprompter didn’t work. It was stone cold dark. I immediately thought to myself, 'Wow, first the escalator event, and now a bad teleprompter. What kind of a place is this?' I then proceeded to make a Speech without a teleprompter, which kicked in about 15 minutes later," he wrote.

Author Jennifer Erin Valen wrote on the social platform X: "I have never in my life witnessed a more pathetic example of insecurity and narcissism than what this man displays every single day."

Podcaster and former Obama advisor Jon Favreau wrote: "A White House videographer accidentally hit a button But perhaps His Majesty should only move around in a hermetically sealed bubble due to his increasingly fragile mental and physical condition."

Journalist Mike Rothschild wrote: "Trump is like one of those old guys who buys a house next to a school, then shows up at every school board meeting loudly complaining about how disruptive the school kids are to his morning routine and how bad the traffic around the school is."

Podcaster and former Obama advisor Jon Lovett wrote: "Talking about an escalator stopping like it's the ambush in clear and present danger."

"Calling an escalator turning off (because your own staff member) and a teleprompter not working as sinister is extremely unserious," wrote a user.