President Donald Trump's speech at the United Nations on Tuesday was marred by technical problems, including the escalator stopping as he and First Lady Melania Trump approached it, and the teleprompter for his speech not working.
Trump, who has in the past attacked other politicians for even using a teleprompter, raged about these problems, and speculation abounded on the right that it might have been deliberate sabotage by U.N. staff who oppose Trump's agenda. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt even called for people at the U.N. building to lose their jobs over it.
But nothing of the sort happened, according to U.N. officials — in fact, it was allegedly all bungling by Trump's own staff.
"A U.N. official said the UN understands that someone from the president’s party who ran ahead of him inadvertently triggered the stop mechanism on the escalator," reported Associated Press United Nations correspondent Farnoush Amiri. Furthermore, "the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the White House was operating the teleprompter for Trump."
In the speech, Trump proclaimed, "We're the hottest country anywhere in the world ... I'm really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell." He also demanded he be given a Nobel Peace Prize, even while bragging about extralegal military airstrikes on boats off the coast of Venezuela.
Diplomats listening to the speech were reportedly horrified, with one telling a Washington Post reporter, "This man is stark, raving mad. Do Americans not see how embarrassing this is?"
