Donald Trump has demanded an investigation into a series of tech issues at the United Nations General Assembly, which he branded a "triple sabotage".
The US President's visit to the UN headquarters on Tuesday got off to an awkward start when an escalator stopped working the moment he and the First Lady, Melania Trump, placed one foot on the first moving step.
Mr Trump said the escalator “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.
Addressing the malfunction, the President said: "If the First Lady wasn’t in great shape, she would’ve fallen, but she’s in great shape. We’re both in good shape."
Mr Trump's teleprompter then crashed as he took to the podium at the UN General Assembly.
"I don’t mind making this speech without a teleprompter, because the teleprompter is not working," he said.
"I feel very happy to be up here with you nevertheless, and that way you speak more from the heart."
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Donald Trump said the escalator at the UN headquarters 'came to a screeching halt'
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The audience erupted into laughter when the US president quipped: "Whoever is operating this teleprompter is in big trouble."
Mr Trump worked the mishaps into his address at the UN, saying: "All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that, on the way up, stopped right in the middle.
"Then a teleprompter that didn’t work. These are the two things I got from the United Nations - a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter."
He also claimed that world leaders in the hall could not hear him because the sound system had failed.
Donald Trump also said the teleprompter wasn't working as he took to the podium to address the UN General Assembly
|REUTERS
"Not one, not two, but three very sinister events," he wrote in a post to Truth Social yesterday.
"This wasn't a coincidence, this was triple sabotage at the UN.
"They ought to be ashamed of themselves."
Mr 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.
UN officials did not immediately respond to a request for a comment on the president's call for an investigation.
Responding to concerns that the malfunctions could have been an inside job, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier said: "If someone at the UN intentionally stopped the escalator as the president and first lady were stepping on, they need to be fired and investigated immediately."
However, a spokesman for the UN affirmed there was no foul play involved.
A UN spokesman said the safety mechanism had been triggered on the escalator
|REUTERS
He said: "Regarding the escalator, the safety mechanism was inadvertently triggered by someone who was ahead of the president on the escalator.
"The escalator was immediately reset and is in operation.
"Regarding the teleprompter, we have no comment since we don’t operate that teleprompter.
"The interpretation audio was heard when a non-official interpreter pressed the wrong button, which briefly allowed a non-UN interpreter to be heard."