President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, at U.N. headquarters. Photo: AP/PTI
Trump vents ire over UN escalator, teleprompter glitches; White House calls for probe
Trump had to deal with a stalled escalator and later a faulty teleprompter during his UN General Assembly visit, leading to call for a White House investigation
US President Donald Trump’s ire isn’t directed at India or Russia this time. Instead, he’s reportedly fuming over two unexpected mishaps: an escalator that came to a sudden halt just as he stepped onto it, and a teleprompter glitch that disrupted his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
This is what happened. On Tuesday (September 23), Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrived hand in hand at the UN HQ.
Escalator incident
Melania, dressed in a crisp white pantsuit, walked beside Trump as photographers called out for pictures. Trump acknowledged them with a smile and a quick “thank you” before stepping onto the escalator.
Suddenly, the escalator jolted to a stop, leaving the couple momentarily stranded mid-step. Melania swiftly ascended the halted escalator on foot, with Trump following closely.
Meanwhile, their aides and accompanying officials decided to take the stairs instead.
Demand for a probe
What began as a minor technical hiccup has now escalated into a diplomatic flare-up, with the White House calling for a formal investigation into the escalator incident at the UN HQ.
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned the incident as “unacceptable”, hinting it may have been more than a mechanical glitch. Leavitt posted on X, "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."
This call for a probe stems from a news report which had quoted UN staffers joking about cutting off escalators and elevators when Trump arrived and responding to it saying the organisation had “run out of money”.
Teleprompter glitch
The hitch at the escalator appeared to amuse Trump. However, when his teleprompter malfunctioned shortly after he began his speech at the General Assembly, he said, “Whoever is operating this teleprompter is in big trouble.”
Trump also complained to delegated that he failed to even receive a phone call from the UN after he had "ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of each and every one of these countries".
“All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that, on the way up, stopped right in the middle. If the First Lady wasn’t in great shape, she would have fallen, but she’s in great shape. We’re both in good shape.”
He added with characteristic flair: “These are the two things I got from the United Nations — a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter. Thank you very much.”
UN dismisses foul play
The United Nations dismissed any suggestion of foul play, clarifying that the incident was purely accidental.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric explained that the escalator’s safety mechanism had been “inadvertently triggered by someone ahead of the president”, and was promptly reset within minutes. As for the teleprompter glitch during President Trump’s speech, Dujarric said wryly: “We have no comment, since the teleprompter for the US president is operated by the White House”.
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In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump said world powers should focus on securing the release of hostages held in Gaza, nearly two years after Hamas seized them in the deadly attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war.
Moreover, Trump continued to repeat hiscontentious claim of having prevented a war between India and Pakistan—an assertion he has made on multiple occasions without offering any supporting evidence.