It was meant to be a routine arrival at the United Nations—a moment of diplomacy, protocol, and cameras capturing the world stage.
But as President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump stepped onto the escalator, something felt off. The machine lurched, then froze entirely, forcing them to ascend on foot. The timing was uncanny, prompting whispers through the corridors: was this merely a technical error, or something more deliberate?
The disruption occurred just before 10 a.m. at UN headquarters in New York City, moments before President Trump’s scheduled address to world leaders. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt immediately called for an investigation.
“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 wrote on X, referencing a report from The Times of London alleging that some UN staffers had joked about cutting off escalator and elevator access for Trump.
Later that evening, speaking on Fox News’s Jesse Watters Primetime, Leavitt suggested the malfunction “appears” to have been deliberate. “If we find that these were UN staffers attempting to trip up, literally trip up, the President and the First Lady of the United States, there must be accountability,” she said. The U.S. Secret Service is also reviewing the incident, according to Leavitt.
United Nations officials, however, dismissed claims of intentional interference. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for Secretary-General António Guterres, told reporters that the stoppage was triggered by a standard safety feature, a routine safeguard built into the escalator system.
Conclusion
While the Trump administration called for a formal probe, UN officials maintain that the escalator malfunction was purely a safety protocol measure. The episode underscores how quickly technical glitches involving high-profile figures can escalate into political flashpoints. Whether accidental or intentional, it illustrates the tension between perception and reality when every movement is scrutinized under the global spotlight.