Former President Donald Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump encountered an unexpected mishap at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday when an escalator carrying them suddenly stopped. The incident occurred shortly before Trump’s scheduled address to world leaders, prompting White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to call for a review of the situation.
She stated that if the stoppage was intentional, those responsible should be held accountable. UN officials, however, quickly denied any suggestion of deliberate interference. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for Secretary-General António Guterres, explained that the stoppage was triggered by a built-in safety feature.
According to Dujarric, a videographer from the U.S. delegation had stepped onto the escalator ahead of the Trumps while walking backward to film their arrival, which activated the safety mechanism designed to prevent accidents. Dujarric noted that a subsequent inspection confirmed the system had functioned as intended and that there was “nothing nefarious” behind the malfunction. Technicians reset the escalator moments later, allowing operations to return to normal.
During his address before the 80th United Nations General Assembly, Trump lightheartedly referenced the incident, joking that it could have been more serious if the first lady “wasn’t in great shape.” He also improvised part of his speech after his teleprompter temporarily froze, remarking that it gave him a chance to “speak from the heart.” The event concluded without further issues, and both mechanical problems were later attributed to technical malfunctions.