World leaders were getting ready for Donald Trump’s usual angry speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City this week. They didn’t think he would throw away the teleprompter, tell a joke, and make a humorous “two-word threat” that made everyone laugh.
Trump lectured for about an hour about some of the world’s biggest challenges, such as wars that are still going on and countries that aren’t stable. But the most surprising thing that happened was that the teleprompter stopped operating a few minutes into his address.
Trump’s speech to the UN is cut short by a tech fault.
Every year, the UN General Assembly is the most important place in the world for diplomacy. Leaders from all around the world travel to New York every September. Everyone who talks should offer a speech to the whole world that is carefully thought out.
Trump has never been one to stick to the script, and when his teleprompter froze in the middle of a line, he didn’t let it get to him.
“I don’t mind giving this speech without a teleprompter because the teleprompter isn’t working,” Trump said to the crowd. People in the big room could hear him.
There was no noise for a moment. After that, the lines of reporters, embassies, and influential people started to laugh.
The “Two-Word Threat”
Trump didn’t get furious about the mistake; he made it hilarious. He smiled and told his famous joke while looking across the hall:
“I can only say that the person who is running this teleprompter is in a lot of trouble.”
“Threat,” “big trouble,” was a classic Trump term that was straightforward, hilarious, and said at the same time he usually does on the campaign trail.
There was a lot of debate about war, peace, and the world’s issues at the summit, but there was also a lot of laughter to lighten the mood.
Trump was able to keep on without any problems after getting a written copy of his speech.
What made the moment so hard?
The engagement was a great change from the boring, written remarks that international leaders usually give. Trump’s ability to make a computer glitch into a comedy showed that he could think quickly and put on a show even when people were being careful with what they said and polite.
Many older Americans who were watching at home remembered a time when politicians weren’t afraid to make jokes and say what they thought, even in front of the whole world.
Trump’s week was busy Before the UN
Trump’s trip to the UN was just one more thing he had to do when he was busy. He and First Lady Melania had just traveled to the UK for the second time, and it created news and drew a lot of people there.
On Sunday, he went to the funeral of Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist. People had varied ideas about what he said about the young leader.
On Monday, Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made headlines again when they talked about a new study on autism. There were a lot of disagreements among doctors concerning this news.
People were looking forward to Trump’s speech at the UN on Tuesday and felt it would be interesting. Instead, it was the joke about the teleprompter and his offhand quip about “big trouble” that garnered all the attention.
The UN General Assembly is very important.
To understand why the moment was so emotional, you need to appreciate how formal the UN General Assembly is.
In September, heads of state get together to give speeches that are well-written. The main topics of discussion include the war in Eastern Europe, the problems in the Middle East, and the problems that come up with immigration. Everyone is watching everything you say and do extremely closely.
It was unexpected and disconcerting to witness Trump make a joke about a tech issue in front of such a serious group of people. It reminded a lot of people that it’s still important to be hilarious, even in the offices of the biggest companies in the world.
Laughing at big issues
The speech wasn’t funny, but the joke was. Then Trump talked a lot about keeping the border safe, being energy independent, and having a strong national government. He stated that “open borders” were dangerous and that global organizations weren’t doing enough to protect people from crime and instability.
A lot of people in the audience still thought about Trump’s joke about “big trouble” even as the speech got more serious. It was a moment that eased the tension and showed the world that a leader isn’t scared to go off-script, no matter what.
Responses News outlets throughout the world quickly picked up on the event. News outlets in London and Sydney paid more attention to Trump’s “teleprompter joke” than to what he said about policy.
People shared videos of what happened on social media. People liked Trump because he was witty and good at handling tough circumstances. People claimed he didn’t care enough about the event.
But for millions of Americans, especially older people who prefer straightforward speech to polished soundbites, it was a beautiful moment. It didn’t seem fake, and it was a lot like Trump.
Politics and Humor
In his business life, Trump has utilized humor as a weapon and a shield. He made people laugh a lot while he was running for office by giving them humorous names, delivering jokes, and coming up with funny things to say. People cheered more at these events than at rallies where policy were talked about.
The UN strategy worked once more. When Trump suggested that the person handling the teleprompter was in “big trouble,” a lot of people laughed. This helped them forget about a tech issue and turned what could have been an awkward distraction into a memorable memory.
The Main Point
Many people heard the joke about the teleprompter, but it had a deeper message too. It’s clear that Trump doesn’t need a script to say what he wants.
For many of his fans, the event showed how he usually conducted things. He doesn’t appear like a professional politician. Instead, he seems like a simple person who isn’t scared to say what he thinks, even when technology, criticism, or institutions get in the way.
It was funny that the UN laughed, but it also highlighted how Trump can get people to pay attention and shift the subject, even when he’s in charge.
People will remember Donald Trump’s address at the UN for two things: how fiercely he spoke out against global policy and how funny it was when it wasn’t expected.
Trump didn’t lose his cool when the teleprompter stopped working. He didn’t fix the mistake; instead, he turned it into a joke. His “two-word threat,” “big trouble,” made people laugh in a place where people were used to long, boring diplomatic addresses instead of jokes that came out of nowhere.
It was more confirmation to his fans that Trump was honest and powerful. People who didn’t like him utilized it to forget about their problems. But for the world, it was a reminder that politics is still a very human thing to do, even on the grandest stage.
A smile and two words can occasionally win over everyone in the room.