New York [US], September 24 (HBTV): US President Donald Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday for the first time since 2020 and drew laughter from the audience by pointing out a teleprompter malfunction and an escalator mishap.
At the start of his foreign policy speech, Trump faced a technical glitch as the teleprompter stopped working. Joking about the mishap, he said, ‘All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle... and then a teleprompter that didn’t work. 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. We both stood.’
He added, ‘I don’t mind making this speech without a teleprompter because the teleprompter is not working. I can only say that whoever’s operating this teleprompter is in big trouble. This way, you speak more from the heart.’
About ten minutes into his remarks, the teleprompter resumed functioning, but Trump, who had switched to notes from a binder, suggested he might continue reading ‘the old-fashioned way,’ according to USA Today.
Later, in a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, ‘It was a great honor to speak before the United Nations. I believe the speech was very well received. It focused very much on energy and migration/immigration. I have been talking about this for a long period of time and this Forum was the absolute best from the standpoint of making these two important statements. I hope everybody gets to watch it!’
During his address, Trump reiterated his foreign policy priorities, presenting what he described as ‘the hand of American leadership and friendship’ while also criticising US allies. He attacked London Mayor Sadiq Khan, alleging the city wanted to ‘go to sharia law,’ and denounced European policies on immigration and green energy, dismissing climate change efforts as a ‘green energy scam’ and a ‘hoax.’
Trump also claimed Christianity is the ‘most persecuted religion,’ announced a planned meeting with Brazilian President Lula da Silva, and highlighted what he called his success in negotiating seven ceasefires. He criticised the UN for not taking a leading role in these initiatives, remarking, ‘It’s too bad that I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them, and sadly, in all cases, the United Nations did not even try to help in any of them.’
Challenging the organisation’s effectiveness, Trump said, ‘The UN has such tremendous potential ... but it’s not even coming close to living up to their potential. For the most part, all they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up.’
(ANI)