Leo Gillick
When Donald Trump made an appearance at the UN, everything was supposed to go off without a hitch, but when the escalator stopped, it brought the whole event to a standstill.
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The good thing about escalators is that when they stop, they simply become stairs. However, the leader of the free world shouldn’t be expected to perambulate himself, surely.
Technical Issues: The visit to the UN was a chance for freyed and tenuous relations to be rectified for Trump. Tensions were high, and the world was watching. So, when the escalator stopped working the minute Trump stood on it, everyone held their breath.
- Trump doesn’t like being made a fool of. Standing on the non-moving escalator, surrounded by security, and sandwiched behind his wife, Trump looked confused. Rather than begin walking up the now-immobile stairs, he simply looked for someone to sort it for him.
Theorists and Quacks
Of course, the comment section exploded with people claiming that it was planned to make a fool of the POTUS. Others harped on about how much os a security risk it could have been. Everyone is a little on edge after Charlie Kirk’s death a few weeks ago.
When the escalator came to a sudden halt, Secret Service just looked around hoping someone would fix the problem.
— Wall Street Mav (@WallStreetMav) September 23, 2025
That wasn’t supposed to happen and it turned Trump into a stationary target. Why did they not cover and evacuate him immediately? pic.twitter.com/Crtg2yPKbq
- Incidentally, The Times reported on staff at the UN building joking that they would turn off the escalator while Trump was on it. It claimed that some “have joked that they may turn off the escalators and elevators and simply tell him they ran out of money, so he has to walk up the stairs.”
However, after an investigation, it turns out that it was just a mistake. A cameraman, stepping backwards, stood on the mechanism that brought it to a halt. It just happened that his timing was impeccable. Trump’s various supporters are incensed nonetheless.
- Karoline Leavitt, a White House press secretary, says on X that whoever was responsible “fired and investigated immediately.”
