An unusual incident at the United Nations headquarters in New York turned heads when an escalator carrying President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump abruptly stopped. The malfunction occurred just minutes before Trump’s scheduled address to the General Assembly, forcing the couple to climb the frozen machine on foot. The event quickly drew attention from reporters and officials alike.
Though escalator stoppages are not uncommon in busy facilities, the timing and location made this glitch an international talking point. The White House immediately raised the possibility of foul play. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called for an investigation, suggesting that the incident could be intentional.
“This was not just an escalator stopping,” Leavitt said on Fox News. “We have credible reports that UN staffers were joking earlier in the day about disrupting President Trump’s arrival. If this was intentional, there must be accountability.”
The Secret Service confirmed it had opened a review but did not speculate on causes. Meanwhile, UN officials pushed back against sabotage claims. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for Secretary-General António Guterres, explained that the escalator’s safety mechanism was triggered by a U.S. delegation videographer walking backward to film the Trumps.
“This was purely mechanical,” Dujarric said. “The safety feature worked exactly as designed. Any suggestion of sabotage is simply not accurate.”
Despite the technical explanation, the incident quickly became political fodder. Clips of the Trumps climbing the halted escalator spread across social media, with commentators using it to frame narratives about Trump’s leadership or his fraught relationship with the UN.
Trump addressed the incident with humor during his speech, quipping that “the escalator stopped, but Melania didn’t miss a step—she’s in better shape than the rest of us.” The joke drew laughter but was paired with his usual criticism of the UN, which he called “too often ineffective and out of touch.”
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