Waltz calls UN mishaps during Trump speech ‘unacceptable,’ vows funding freeze until reforms

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Trump’s teleprompter and escalator mishaps at UN were ‘insulting’ and ‘dangerous,’ says US ambassador

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz weighs in on the mishaps that happened to President Donald Trump at the U.N. General Assembly on ‘Kudlow.’

United Nations Ambassador Mike Waltz on Thursday called mishaps during President Donald Trump’s U.N. speech "unacceptable" and vowed to withhold U.S. funding until sweeping reforms are made.

Waltz appeared on FOX Business’ "Kudlow" when host Larry Kudlow asked him about the incidents that appeared as if the U.N. was trying to sabotage the president.

Kudlow noted that the escalator malfunctioned as Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived, the teleprompter later failed, and finally the auditorium sound cut out.

Waltz added that the broadcast audio abruptly switched to Portuguese during Trump’s speech before returning to English.

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"The whole thing is unacceptable. The whole thing stinks," Waltz said. "There’s 150 world leaders there and this only happens to him, not once, not twice, but three times."

He said the incidents are under investigation by the Secret Service and noted the Secretary General has pledged full cooperation.

"As the ambassador, I said, you’ve got to open your doors, and some people were kind of shoulder shrugging at this," Waltz said. "This could have been incredibly serious. It’s insulting, and it’s right here on American soil."

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Waltz then turned to reform, criticizing the U.N.’s bloated bureaucracy and noting that seven agencies focus on climate issues alone. He argued the organization needs to be "cut up" and reformed before U.S. taxpayer money flows again.

He confirmed the U.S. has withheld its U.N. contribution this year.

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President Donald Trump rides an escalator at the United Nations on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

"We've withheld this year," Waltz said. "We haven't paid any and my first meeting with the Secretary General was, here are the reforms that we need to see before you start talking about taxpayer dollars."

Waltz invoked Sen. Jesse Helms’ 1999 push to clean up the U.N. before releasing U.S. dollars, saying transparency and accountability remain essential.

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"We have every obligation to make sure it's transparent," he said.