May 29, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Karoline Leavitt follows former President Donald Trump as he walks into court before jury deliberations for his criminal trial at Manhattan criminal court at the New York State Supreme Court on May 29, 2024. Mandatory Credit: Jabin Botsford/Pool via USA TODAY NETWORK
An awkward stumble at the United Nations is now at the center of an unusually charged dispute between the Trump White House and UN staff. On Tuesday, as President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump stepped onto an escalator inside UN headquarters in New York, the moving stairs suddenly ground to a halt. What might have been written off as a moment of bad luck quickly became fodder for deeper suspicions.
Sabotage? Or a Malfunction?
An escalator will be the first installed in Lawrence and available for patrons at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Aug. 19, 2025.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News the incident was being probed not only by the UN but by the U.S. Secret Service. “That’s definitely what it appears to be to me,” Leavitt said when asked if the halt looked like sabotage. She pointed to a weekend report in The Times of London claiming UN staffers had joked about turning off the escalators when Trump arrived. She said, “First it was the escalator, then it was the teleprompter.”
The White House Believes the UN Was Trying to Trip Them Up
Republican candidate for New Hampshire’s 1st District congressional seat Karoline Leavitt of Hampton votes at Winnacunnet High School Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. She is challenging two-term incumbent Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas of Manchester. Leavitt Closeup
Leavitt went further, citing conservative commentators who said the sound system seemed quieter during Trump’s speech than for earlier speakers. “When you put all of this together, it doesn’t look like a coincidence to me,” she told Fox. “If we find that UN staffers were purposefully trying to trip up—the president and the first lady of the United States—well, there better be accountability for those people, and I will personally see to it.”
Trump’s Team May Be To Blame
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At the UN, officials offered a different explanation. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for Secretary General António Guterres, suggested the mishap may have been triggered by Trump’s own delegation. Dujarric said, “The videographer may have inadvertently triggered the safety function.”
The Teleprompter Gave The President Trouble As Well
President Donald J. Trump speaks during the memorial service honoring Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sept. 21, 2025. Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA was assassinated on Sept. 10, 2025.
The president’s day at the UN was further marred by technical trouble once he reached the podium. The teleprompter malfunctioned as he began his address to the General Assembly, forcing him to pause and ad-lib until it was restored. “These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter,” Trump quipped to delegates, turning the snafus into a punch line.
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April 15, 2024; New York, NY, USA; Attorney Emil Bove and rump 2024 National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt arrive with former President Donald Trump at Manhattan criminal court ahead of the start of jury selection in New York, NY on Monday, April 15, 2024. Mandatory Credit: Jabin Botsford/Pool via USA TODAY NETWORK
Behind the jokes, though, lies a serious undertone. Trump’s aides have seized on the incidents as examples of hostility from international institutions toward the president, part of a narrative that pits him against what his allies call “globalist” bureaucrats. UN officials, for their part, have tried to tamp down speculation, noting that the White House itself controls the teleprompter used by the president. But in an atmosphere already thick with mistrust, a momentary hiccup has quickly become another skirmish in a broader political fight.
