Former President Trump has called for the identification and arrest of individuals involved in a malfunction at an escalator in the United Nations headquarters, which unexpectedly stopped working just as he and Melania Trump boarded it on Tuesday.
This sudden stoppage nearly caused Melania to lose her balance and was one of three incidents that caught Trump’s attention during his visit to address world leaders at the UN General Assembly taking place in New York.
Trump expressed his outrage on Truth Social the following day, stating, “There was a REAL DISGRACE at the United Nations yesterday — Not one, not two, but three very dubious incidents!”
He detailed, “To start, the escalator to the Main Speaking Floor came to a sudden stop. It halted abruptly. It’s incredible that Melania and I didn’t lurch forward onto the sharp edges of the steel steps. Thankfully, we were both gripping the handrail securely, or it could have ended badly.”
Trump described the escalator incident as “clearly sabotage,” referencing a report from the Times of London which claimed that UN staff were overheard making jokes about possibly disabling the escalator to make Trump walk to the hall.
“Those responsible should face arrest!” exclaimed Trump.
A spokesperson for the UN suggested that an event staff member might have contributed to the escalator’s halt, explaining that, “A videographer from the US delegation stepped onto the escalator before the President and First Lady to document their arrival.” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, added, “When the videographer, traveling backwards on the escalator, reached the top, both the First Lady and President Trump stepped onto the escalator, at which point (9:50am), it unexpectedly stopped.”
He continued, “An investigation revealed that the escalator stopped due to a safety mechanism being triggered at the top, aimed at preventing individuals or objects from getting caught in the gears.”
“This means that the videographer may have accidentally activated the safety function mentioned earlier,” Dujarric indicated.
Trump insisted on an “immediate inquiry” into the escalator episode and demanded that “all surveillance footage from the escalator, particularly the camera covering the emergency stop button, be preserved.”
He noted, “The Secret Service is involved in this matter.”
Additionally, Trump faced technical difficulties as his teleprompter also failed during his speech, and he later claimed that his comments were inaudible to anyone not wearing earpieces.
“It was utterly dark,” Trump remarked regarding the teleprompter. “I couldn’t help but think, ‘First the escalator breakdown, now the teleprompter fail. What kind of place is this?’”
He mentioned that the teleprompter finally worked after about 15 minutes.
At the conclusion of his address, he surveyed Melania’s response by asking, “How did I do?”
“She replied, ‘I couldn’t hear a thing you said,’” Trump shared.
“This wasn’t a coincidence. This was a coordinated sabotage at the UN. They should feel embarrassed,” Trump concluded.
The UN has yet to respond to The Post’s request for details regarding the incidents.
