White House demands UN staff be fired if they deliberately stopped escalator while Trump was on it

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City on Tuesday (Sep. 23), where world leaders are gathered for a week-long conference on global issues, including whether or not to back a two-state solution for the Gaza conflict.

He gave a highly charged speech calling out the UN for not "being there for us" when he was brokering ceasefire deals, and saying that their countries are "going to hell" due to open borders.

But before all that, Trump had to face a different kind of challenge.

NOW - Escalator at UN headquarters immediately stops as Trump and Melania step on it shortly after arriving. pic.twitter.com/8nlUkDoQxm

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 23, 2025

The escalator appears to have stopped working, and Trump and Melania both had to climb the steps of the escalator.

He later made reference to this incident, saying all he had gotten from the UN was a broken teleprompter and escalator. He also highlighted the potential danger Melania could have faced.

"If the first lady wasn't in great shape, she would have fallen. But she's in great shape, we are both in good shape."

Investigation

Following the incident, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called for those responsible, if it was deliberate, to be fired.

She referred to an earlier claim made in a UK newspaper, The Times, about UN staff joking that they would stop the escalators.

According to Reuters, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said a readout of the escalator's central processing unit indicated that the stoppage might have been caused by Trump's videographer, who had been travelling backwards up the escalator to capture footage.

Image from Disclose TV/X