**”Teleprompter Official in Trouble” Joke Starts Speech…Trump Later Criticizes UN Inefficiency**
**Melania’s Escalator Malfunction Incident…Anti-Trump Protests Outside UN**
On September 23rd, local time, at the 80th United Nations General Assembly held at the UN headquarters in New York, U.S. President Donald Trump began his speech with a teasing remark about a malfunctioning teleprompter. As he opened the folder with his speech on stage, he quipped, “It’s okay to use the prompter because it isn’t working,” adding, “this way, I can speak more from the heart—but whoever is in charge of the teleprompter is in big trouble,” bringing laughter to the audience.
However, Trump transitioned into a critique of the UN for being inept in conflict resolution and inefficient in operations, calling it corrupt, turning his earlier joke into a pointed criticism. He mentioned that since his second term began, he ended seven wars but hadn’t received a single call from the UN for negotiations, quipping that all he got was a stopped escalator and a broken teleprompter.
Video reports of Trump’s arrival show that as his wife, Melania, stepped onto the escalator before him, it suddenly stopped. Fortunately, neither of them fell, but they had to walk up the stationary escalator. Trump also shared his past experience bidding for the renovation of the United Nations headquarters during his real estate days, describing the organization as wasteful and inefficient.
Trump’s speech, which stray from the usual 15-minute recommendation, extended nearly an hour, as Melania watched calmly from the front row of the general audience seating. U.S. representatives present included Treasury Secretary Scott Beasant, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, scheduled to speak the next day, also listened from the delegation seats.
High-profile figures like Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, also appeared among the delegation seats.
According to the White House, Trump was scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, von der Leyen, President Zelensky, and Argentine President Javier Milei during the UN Assembly. At the Israeli delegation’s seat, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, applauded Trump’s strong statement urging the release of hostages in Gaza.
Meanwhile, China was represented not by senior officials or the Ambassador but by Deputy UN Ambassador Geng Shuang. Russia’s seat was occupied by its Ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, with Russian delegates seemingly recording Trump’s speech on their phones.
There was no broadcast of the North Korean delegation, though diplomatic circles expect Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Son-kyung, responsible for international organizations, to attend and speak on September 29th.
Outside the UN, anti-Trump protests took place in New York City, with hundreds demonstrating nearby, chanting slogans and holding pickets. However, they were barred from approaching the UN by police barricades, with about a dozen arrested after occupying roads, reported the New York Times.