Karoline Leavitt calls for firings over UN escalator malfunction if intentional

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called for the firing and investigation of those responsible for a stalled escalator that carried President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at Tuesday’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The escalator malfunction occurred before Trump addressed the General Assembly in New York, and he and the first lady were forced to walk up the stalled machine before making his remarks to other world leaders. 

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“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,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X in response to a Times of London article published Sunday. 

The Times reported Sunday that U.N. staffers joked that they may switch off the escalator.

On Tuesday, a United Nations spokesperson later told Fox News that someone from the U.S. delegation or security detail ran up the escalator and then back down again before the Trumps were off the escalator. The act of running down the up-moving escalator triggered an alarm, halting it. 

“After passing through the security gates, President Trump and the First Lady approached the escalator,” said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. “In an effort to document their arrival, a videographer from the US delegation stepped on to the escalator ahead of the President and First Lady. As the videographer, who was traveling backwards up the escalator reached the top, the First Lady, followed by President Trump, each mounted the steps at the bottom. At that moment (9:50am), the escalator came to a stop.

At that moment, the escalator stopped, Dujarric said. 

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“Our technician, who was at the location, reset the escalator as soon as the delegation had climbed up to the second floor,” he added. “A subsequent investigation, including a readout of the machine’s central processing unit, indicated that the escalator had stopped after a built-in safety mechanism on the comb step was triggered at the top of the escalator. The safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing.”

Dujarric said the videographer may have inadvertently triggered the safety function.

The U.N. added that there was nothing nefarious about what happened. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Secret Service. The White House referred Fox News Digital to Leavitt’s post on X.

The escalator malfunction wasn’t the only breakdown. Trump was forced to improvise his speech after a teleprompter froze.

“I feel very happy to be up here with you, nevertheless — and that way you speak more from the heart — I can only say that whoever is operating this teleprompter is in big trouble,” he said, drawing laughs.

The teleprompter resumed a few minutes into his address.

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“I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of these countries and never even received a phone call from the United Nations offering to help in finalizing the deal,” Trump said. “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’ve fallen. But she’s in great shape. We’re both in good shape. We both stood,” he added, drawing more laughter. “These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter.”