Escalator Malfunction at UN: Trump Calls for Investigation
On September 23, 2025, as President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump approached the escalator at the United Nations headquarters, it suddenly stopped functioning. The timing seemed rather suspicious. In response, Trump asked White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to press UN officials for an investigation into the possibility of intentional sabotage.
Leavitt quickly took to social media to advocate for an unusual investigation into the incident. She stated that anyone found responsible for the escalator’s failure should face immediate dismissal from her perspective.
If someone at the United Nations intentionally stops the escalator while the president and first lady are intervening, they will be fired immediately and must be investigated.
– Karoline Leavitt
Leavitt’s post also referenced a report suggesting that some UN officials joked about staging “stunts” like turning off escalators to draw attention to cutbacks in US funding for the organization. Currently, the United States remains the largest donor to the UN, contributing around 22% of the regular budget, which totals approximately $820 million a year. Additionally, US contributions to UN peacekeeping efforts account for about 27% of the budget, amounting to $6.5 billion out of the total $25 billion for 2024-2025.
During his speech at the UN General Assembly, Trump mentioned the escalator incident.
What I got from the UN was an escalator that stopped in the middle halfway through. If the First Lady hadn’t taken a big shape, she would have collapsed. But she’s in great condition. We’re both in good condition. We were both standing.
He then went on to address another mishap related to his speech.
Then it didn’t work, he added. These are two things I got from the United Nations: bad escalators and bad teleprompters. Thank you. And by the way, it’s working now. I just kept going. Thank you.
A spokesperson for the UN later clarified that all incidents involving the escalator were accidents and denied any intention to slight President Trump.
About the escalator: The safety mechanism was inadvertently triggered by those ahead of the president. The escalators were reset immediately and are operational, said Farhan Aziz Hak from the UN. As for the teleprompter, there are no comments as I don’t operate it. I heard the interpreter’s sound when an unofficial interpreter pressed the wrong button.
