Who stopped the escalator? Probably Trump's videographer, says the UN

On Tuesday, the United Nations explained why an escalator suddenly stopped shortly after US President Donald Trump stepped onto it: apparently, his videographer accidentally triggered a safety mechanism.

Trump jokingly complained about the mishap in his speech to the 193 member states. In addition to the escalator, the teleprompter also malfunctioned. “These are the two things I got from the United Nations—a broken escalator and a broken teleprompter,” he quipped, eliciting laughter.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt was less amused. On X, she called for immediate dismissal and investigation if someone had deliberately stopped the escalator.

However, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric explained that the control panel indicated that the safety mechanism at the top had been triggered. Trump's videographer had walked backwards up the escalator to film the appearance with Melania Trump and may have unintentionally blocked it. The mechanism is designed to protect people or objects from getting stuck.

Regarding the teleprompter, the UN emphasized that the White House had operated its own device. After Trump's speech, UN Assembly President Annalena Baerbock assured: “The UN teleprompters are working perfectly.”

(reuters, est)