The UN claims that videographers might have unintentionally caused the abrupt halt of an escalator on Wednesday, coinciding with the arrival of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at New York City’s General Assembly.
White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt mentioned to Fox News that the president seems to have been hindered, adding that the Secret Service is currently “examining” the situation.
The United Nations contends that the stoppage was not deliberate. UN spokesperson Stephen Dujaric stated that the US delegation’s videographers may have accidentally activated safety features at the top of the escalator, similar to a previous incident in London. The report indicated:
Following investigations, which included analyzing the escalator’s central processing unit, it was found that a built-in safety mechanism was triggered at the top step, causing the escalator to stop. These safety features are intended to prevent people and objects from becoming caught or drawn into the machinery. It’s possible that the videographer inadvertently set off these safety mechanisms.
On Tuesday afternoon, Leavitt shared a screenshot from an article in the Sunday Times detailing how UN personnel reportedly remained silent about the escalator blockages resulting from the president’s arrival.
Leavitt noted on Jesse Watters Primetime that the US Secret Service is looking into the escalator issue, along with some teleprompter malfunctions that appeared during Trump’s speech. She suggested that these occurrences didn’t seem coincidental.
“First it was an escalator, then it was a teleprompter, and later Katie Publich during the town hall… I noticed the audio in the room was significantly lower and different compared to the previous speaker,” she remarked.
“So when you put all this together, it doesn’t quite look like a coincidence to me. We have people, including the Secret Service, involved here.” She added, “If UN staff are purposely trying to impede, then those accountable should be identified, especially since the president and the first lady were involved.”
During his speech, Trump expressed frustration over the issues with the escalator and teleprompter.
“That was my experience with the UN: a non-functional escalator. If the First Lady hadn’t been careful, she could have fallen. Thankfully, she’s in great shape—so are we,” he commented. “These two things from the United Nations: poor escalators and poor teleprompters,” he said.
The Associated Press quoted an anonymous source, referred to as a “UN civil servant,” asserting that Trump’s team had utilized a teleprompter during his speech.
