Trump Demands Investigation After Escalator, Teleprompter Malfunctions at UN

President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump faced an unexpected glitch at the United Nations on Tuesday morning when an escalator carrying them suddenly froze, forcing the couple to climb the stalled machine before Trump’s high-profile address to global leaders.

The incident, which took place just before 10 a.m. at UN headquarters in New York City, immediately raised alarms inside the White House. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called for a full inquiry into whether the mishap was an accident or intentional sabotage.

“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, referencing a report from The Times of London that UN staffers had previously joked about cutting off access to escalators and elevators during Trump’s arrival.

Later that evening on Fox News’s Jesse Watters Primetime, Leavitt doubled down, suggesting the timing of the malfunction “appears” suspicious given reports that UN employees had mocked the president’s visit.

“If we find that these were UN staffers who were purposefully trying to trip up, literally trip up the president and the first lady of the United States, well there better be accountability,” she said.

The U.S. Secret Service is reviewing the matter as well, according to Leavitt.

UN Officials Blame Safety Feature

United Nations officials quickly rejected speculation of foul play. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for Secretary-General António Guterres, insisted the stoppage was triggered by a safety mechanism when a U.S. videographer stepped onto the escalator backwards to film the president’s entrance.

“Our technician, who was at the location, reset the escalator as soon as the delegation had climbed up to the second floor,” Dujarric said, adding that an internal review found “nothing nefarious” behind the glitch.

Trump Turns Setback Into Humor

True to form, President Trump turned the mishap into a punchline during his address to the 80th United Nations General Assembly.

“All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle,” Trump joked, drawing laughter. He teased that the situation might have been dangerous if the First Lady “wasn’t in great shape.”

Minutes later, Trump’s teleprompter froze at the start of his speech, but he brushed it off with more humor:

“I feel very happy to be up here with you, nevertheless — and that way you speak more from the heart — I can only say that whoever is operating this teleprompter is in big trouble.”

The audience laughed as the machine restarted.

Escalator Symbol of Deeper Tensions

While amusing on the surface, the incident underscored the deep strain between the Trump administration and the UN. The President has repeatedly criticized the institution as bloated, ineffective, and more likely to create conflicts than solve them.

In his remarks Tuesday, Trump sharpened those critiques by contrasting his foreign policy record with the UN’s inaction.

“I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of these countries and never even received a phone call from the United Nations offering to help in finalizing the deal,” Trump said.

Whether mechanical glitch or deliberate slight, the UN escalator incident will almost certainly fuel further scrutiny of an institution that many conservatives see as hostile to American sovereignty and dismissive of President Trump’s leadership.