**Escalator at the UN Stops Suddenly as Donald Trump and Melania Trump Step On It; White House Orders Probe**
*Last Updated: September 24, 2025, 13:51 IST*
An escalator at the United Nations abruptly stopped just as US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump stepped onto it on Tuesday. Videos of the incident have since gone viral on social media.
The footage shows the Trumps approaching the escalator, which instantly halted the moment they stepped on. Both President Trump and the First Lady experienced a brief jolt as the escalator stopped functioning. After regaining their balance, they climbed the stairs up manually.
### White House Demands Investigation
Following widespread media attention, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called for an immediate investigation. She stated that if the stoppage was intentional, those responsible should be fired.
In a post on X, Leavitt referenced a report by the Times of London suggesting that some United Nations staff had joked about turning off escalators and blaming it on budget cuts amid sweeping US funding reductions.
Leavitt wrote, “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.”
Speaking to Fox News later, she added, “If we find that these were UN staffers purposefully trying to trip up, literally trip up the President and the First Lady of the United States, well, there better be accountability for those people, and I will personally see to it.”
### United Nations Offers Explanation
In response to the incident, the United Nations stated it believes the cause of the malfunction has been identified. According to the UN, the videographer accompanying the Trumps may have accidentally triggered a safety mechanism.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric explained to Reuters that a readout from the escalator’s central processing unit showed it stopped after a built-in safety feature on the comb step at the top was activated. He said the videographer had been moving backwards up the escalator to capture footage of the President and First Lady’s arrival and may have inadvertently set off the safety function.
Dujarric clarified, “The safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects from accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing.”
### Trump’s Teleprompter Also Malfunctions During Speech
As President Trump began his speech at the UN General Assembly, his teleprompter malfunctioned. While the United Nations distanced itself from this issue, stating that the teleprompter is operated by the White House, Trump expressed frustration.
“Whoever is operating this teleprompter is in big trouble,” Trump said.
He went on to connect both the escalator and teleprompter incidents to what he perceives as the UN’s multiple failings, including a lack of support for his peace efforts across various conflicts.
“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,” Trump remarked. “All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that, on the way up, stopped right in the middle. If the First Lady weren’t in great shape, she would have fallen, but she’s in great shape. We’re both in good shape.”
“These are the two things I got from the United Nations — a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter. Thank you very much,” the President concluded.
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