Escalator Drama at UNGA: White House Demands Probe After Trump’s Awkward Ride
In a bizarre twist at Tuesday’s United Nations General Assembly, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump found themselves walking up a stalled escalator moments before the president’s address to world leaders. The incident, which unfolded at U.N. headquarters in New York, prompted White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to call for the firing and investigation of anyone responsible. “If someone at the UN intentionally stopped the escalator as the President and First Lady were stepping on, they need to be fired and investigated immediately,” Leavitt posted on X, citing a Times of London report suggesting that U.N. staffers joked about switching off the escalator.
The White House’s alarm was amplified during Leavitt’s appearance on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” where she bluntly stated the malfunction “definitely” appeared like sabotage. She warned of “concerning reporting” that “globalist U.N. staffers” may have plotted to “trip up” the U.S. president. The U.S. Secret Service is now looking into the matter. Yet the United Nations offered a very different explanation: spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said a U.S. videographer, moving backward to film the Trumps’ arrival, inadvertently triggered the escalator’s built-in safety mechanism. “Our technician reset the escalator as soon as the delegation had climbed up,” he said, adding that a CPU readout confirmed the safety function—not tampering—halted the machine.
Despite the awkward start, Trump’s appearance continued to generate headlines. He quipped about the mishap during his speech, joking that the U.N. had given him “a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter” after his teleprompter briefly froze mid-address. “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,” he said, drawing laughter from delegates. While the U.N. insists nothing nefarious occurred, the White House’s sharp rhetoric ensures the “escalator incident” will linger as an unusual subplot to Trump’s fiery remarks at the 80th UNGA.
