UN escalator halts with Trump, Melania on it; White House demands probe

Following escalator mishap incident, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took to X, calling for an investigation into whether UN employees deliberately stopped the escalator

Just before delivering a fiery speech at the United Nations (UN), US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump suffered a minor mishap at UN headquarters in New York. The escalator they were riding stopped abruptly after moving only a short distance. Melania, wearing high heels, jolted forward, forcing the couple to walk up the rest of the way.

 

White House demands investigation

 

Following the incident, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called for an investigation into whether UN employees deliberately stopped the escalator. She cited a report by The Times which claimed some UN staff had “joked that they may turn off the escalators and simply tell him they ran out of money, so he has to walk up the stairs.” Leavitt said that if the escalator was stopped intentionally, those involved should face removal and an official inquiry. 

 

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.  The Times reported this on Sunday.???? pic.twitter.com/NitsWbGYG0

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) September 23, 2025

 

UN explains the cause of the stoppage

 

The UN responded, saying it had determined why the escalator stopped. According to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, Trump’s videographer, who was travelling backwards up the escalator to capture the President and First Lady’s arrival, may have inadvertently triggered the safety switch, reported Reuters.

 

Teleprompter glitches before speech

 

Before delivering his UN General Assembly speech, Trump also faced a teleprompter malfunction. Reports from the Associated Press cited a UN official who said the device was under White House staff control. Trump quipped, “Whoever is operating this teleprompter is in big trouble.”

 

Trump uses glitches to criticise UN

 

Trump seized the glitches as an opportunity to criticise the UN. He began his address by saying, “All I got from the United Nations was an escalator on the way up that stopped in the middle. If the First Lady wasn’t in great shape, she would’ve fallen.” He added, “These are the two things I got from the United Nations, a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter, thank you very much,” according to Bloomberg.

 

He complained that his administration never received proper recognition for its achievements, including attempts to resolve global conflicts. He asserted that UN leaders had not helped him end the seven wars he frequently cites as resolved. “I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of each and every one of these countries, and never even received a phone call from the United Nations,” he said.

 

Even after finishing his speech, Trump continued to ridicule the UN, posting on Truth Social that while the equipment was “faulty,” the incidents “probably made the speech more interesting.”