This Tuesday, the White House urged a thorough investigation following alarming reports that UN staffers may have intentionally disabled an escalator just as President Trump and First Lady Melania were about to use it—an incident labeled as a significant security lapse.
“Should it be confirmed that any UN personnel deliberately halted the escalator while the President and First Lady approached, immediate disciplinary action and a full investigation are warranted,” stated White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. This statement came in light of allegations that staffers might shut down the escalators to compel Trump to ascend the stairs instead.
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.
The Times reported this on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/NitsWbGYG0
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) September 23, 2025
As President Trump took the stage at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, he and First Lady Melania arrived at approximately 8:50 AM.
Reports from The Gateway Pundit indicate that as Melania and Trump made their way across the building, they approached an escalator flanked by onlookers. Melania chose the escalator on the left, followed closely by Trump. Strangely, just as the President stepped on, the escalator ceased functioning, while the adjacent escalator continued to operate. Faced with this unexpected standstill, Melania quickly adapted, walking up the escalator stairs, with President Trump and their entourage following suit.
This is insane…
As Trump arrived at the UN, the escalator stopped working the moment he stepped on it.
Then the teleprompter stopped working the moment he got up to the podium to speak. pic.twitter.com/XBTgfr6zJ8
— Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) September 23, 2025
Sources from the Secret Service conveyed concerns to RealClearPolitics reporter Susan Crabtree about the precarious situation: President Trump was momentarily “stalled and vulnerable.”
“Members of the Secret Service have expressed significant apprehension over the incident today, highlighting that President Trump was left exposed—a troubling echo of the agency’s delayed response during a previous emergency last July,” Crabtree reported.
Why did the @SecretService allow Pres. Trump and Melania to get stalled on an escalator today at the @UN General Assembly before his speech without moving quickly to protect the leader of the free world and his wife?
The stalled escalator with President Trump and first lady… https://t.co/mFvxGVXDQN
— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) September 23, 2025
Following the incident, Leavitt confirmed that the Secret Service has initiated an inquiry into what transpired with the escalator.
“Should our investigation reveal that UN staffers engaged in a deliberate effort to sabotage President Trump and the First Lady, we will demand accountability for those individuals,” she asserted.
BREAKING: The Secret Service has launched an investigation into the escalator situation at the United Nations today, per Karoline Leavitt
If someone did this intentionally, they should be CRIMINALLY charged.
It put President Trump in a VERY compromising position.
“If we… pic.twitter.com/nHJW36wCCx
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 24, 2025
