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UN Reveals the Secret Behind the Escalator Halt Behind Trump's Rise
Shortly after former U.S. President Donald Trump ascended the escalator at the United Nations headquarters, the international organization proposed a new hypothesis for the sudden stop—which sparked much debate and humor. The UN suggested that the video cameraman filming Trump’s journey may have accidentally activated the built-in safety mechanism of the escalator, causing it to stop unexpectedly.
In a humorous move, Trump showed empathy for the incident during his speech before world leaders, after the text display screen for his speech malfunctioned. He said, laughing, “This is what you get at the United Nations – a bad escalator and a bad reading screen.” This statement elicited a wave of laughter from the audience, especially as Trump didn’t miss the opportunity to joke and express his discontent informally.
In an official response, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated that the organization had no official comment on the matter. He explained that the escalator control system is managed by the White House, leaving open the possibility that the incident could be linked to instructions from the American side. Later, Trump posted on his Truth Social account, mentioning the malfunctions he experienced while ascending, describing the incident as “very frustrating” and expressing his dissatisfaction.
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Carolina Levinger took a more serious tone. She tweeted on X (formerly Twitter): “If anyone at the UN deliberately stopped the escalator during the President and First Lady’s ascent, they should be investigated and immediately dismissed.” She added that her post included an excerpt from a Times article, indicating that some UN staff jokingly suggested they might have shut the elevators upon Trump’s arrival—a rumor that had circulated earlier in jest.
From a technical standpoint, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric explained that the escalator’s control unit readings indicated that the mechanism stopped after engaging the integrated safety feature, which is used in case of any potential danger. This suggests that the incident may have resulted from an error or a response to an unknown security reason, but remains a technical hypothesis and does not exclude the possibility of tampering or an unintentional action.
Despite Trump’s humor, the incident shed light on the technical procedures that could affect protocols during international events, raising questions about the precision of movement and mobility tools used on the global stage—especially those related to heads of state and important guests.
