Following an escalator mishap involving President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump during Tuesday’s United Nations General Assembly summit, a UN official has clarified the circumstances behind the incident. According to a report by Associated Press UN Correspondent Farnoush Amiri, the escalator stopped when the president and first lady stepped on because one of Trump’s aides inadvertently triggered the emergency stop mechanism.
A UN official said the UN understands that someone from the president’s party who ran ahead of him inadvertently triggered the stop mechanism on the escalator. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the White House was operating the teleprompter for Trump, Amiri reported on X.
Karoline Leavitt Suggests Conspiracy Behind Escalator Stoppage
Before the UN explanation emerged, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested the escalator may have been deliberately stopped to embarrass the president. She said 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 also shared a screenshot of a Sunday report by The Times, which noted that to mark Trump’s arrival, UN staff members have joked that they may turn off the escalators and elevators and simply tell him they ran out of money, so he has to walk up the stairs.
Donald Trump Addresses the Incident During UN Speech
Earlier Tuesday, the president and first lady were forced to walk up a non-functioning escalator upon arriving at the United Nations. The incident prompted Trump to address it during his General Assembly speech, highlighting both the escalator and teleprompter issues.
Trump said all he got from the United Nations was an escalator that stopped in the middle, and if the first lady wasn’t in great shape, she would have fallen. He added that they are both in great shape and summarized the two issues he experienced as a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter, noting that the teleprompter was now working.
Trump also said he did not mind making the speech without a teleprompter because it was not working, adding that whoever was operating the teleprompter was in big trouble.
Also Read: WATCH: Donald Trump Makes A Huge Comment Against India And China At UN, Threatens Russia
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
