**Escalator at UN Halts 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 shortly after US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump stepped onto it on Tuesday. Videos of the incident have since gone viral across social media platforms.
The footage shows Donald and Melania Trump walking toward an escalator, which suddenly halted the moment they stepped on. Both experienced a brief jolt as the escalator stopped functioning but quickly steadied themselves and proceeded to climb the metal steps manually.
### White House Demands Investigation, Questions Intentionality
The incident drew significant media attention, prompting White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to call for an immediate investigation. Speaking on X (formerly Twitter), Leavitt referenced a report from the Times of London that quoted United Nations staff joking that they might “turn off the escalators and tell [President Trump] they ran out of money” amid sweeping US funding cuts.
Leavitt stated, *“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.”*
In an interview with Fox News, she added, *“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 for those people, and I will personally see to it.”*
### United Nations Responds to the Incident
Responding to the situation, the United Nations suggested that the cause of the escalator malfunction may now be clear. A spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, told Reuters that a safety mechanism was likely triggered accidentally.
According to Dujarric, *“A readout of the escalator’s central processing unit indicated it stopped after a built-in safety mechanism on the comb step at the top was activated.”* He explained that President Trump’s videographer had been moving backwards up the escalator to capture footage of the arrival, which may have inadvertently triggered the safety function.
This safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects from being caught or pulled into the escalator’s gearing system.
### Teleprompter Malfunction Adds to the Glitches
Adding to the series of mishaps, President Trump’s teleprompter also malfunctioned as he began his speech at the UN General Assembly (UNGA). While the United Nations clarified that the teleprompter is operated by the White House team, Trump publicly expressed frustration over the incident.
“Whoever is operating this teleprompter is in big trouble,” Trump said during his speech. He then linked both incidents—the escalator stopping and the teleprompter malfunction—to what he described as multiple UN failings, including a lack of support for his peace efforts in 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.”
He concluded, *“These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter. Thank you very much.”*
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*Source: News World*
https://www.news18.com/world/donald-trump-melania-trump-un-escalator-video-us-president-unga-escalator-stops-karoline-leavitt-white-house-demands-probe-9592600.html
