President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump experienced an unexpected glitch when an escalator at the United Nations headquarters suddenly stopped, forcing them to walk up before his scheduled speech. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called for an investigation, suggesting possible sabotage, citing reports of UN staff joking about limiting Trump’s access to facilities. The Secret Service began reviewing the matter following her remarks.
UN officials, however, denied any wrongdoing. Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric clarified that a U.S. videographer had accidentally triggered the escalator’s safety mechanism while filming, causing it to stop automatically. A technical inspection confirmed that the system worked properly, and the malfunction was purely mechanical, not intentional.
During his UN address, Trump joked about the incident, saying the stoppage might have been dangerous if not for the first lady’s fitness. He also laughed off a brief teleprompter failure before turning to a more serious tone, criticizing the UN’s effectiveness and asserting that his administration had achieved more in foreign policy without its help.
