When President Donald Trump experienced a sudden halt on an escalator, it sparked conversations and theories about what might have caused the unexpected stop.
Despite concerns that something more serious could have been behind the incident, the 79-year-old managed to keep a sense of humor about it while addressing the General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on September 24.
“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 have fallen, but she’s in great shape. We’re both in good shape,” Trump remarked jokingly.
Meanwhile, on Twitter, a user questioned the response of the security detail, saying: “When the escalator came to a sudden halt, Secret Service just looked around hoping someone would fix the problem.
“That wasn’t supposed to happen and it turned Trump into a stationary target. Why did they not cover and evacuate him immediately?”
Another social media user discussed the security measures at the UN, writing: “You do realize the entire UN is extensively swept, scanned, and monitored for any potential threats before Trump gets there, right?
“If somehow a hidden sniper was watching through a HVAC vent or something, it was not going to make a difference whether Trump came to a full stop or the escalator was moving 2-3ft a second.
“Some UN employees joked last week that they might stop the escalator when Trump was on it, and it made it to the news. They should definitely be fired for the following, along with the teleprompter person, if they messed with that as well, but I doubt criminal charges will come from it.”
Interestingly, the teleprompter also malfunctioned as Trump began his speech, prompting him to tell the audience that his words would “come from the heart.” He then spoke for 58 minutes, despite a suggested 15-minute time limit for speeches.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt referenced an article from The Times on Sunday via social media, which mentioned: “To mark Trump’s arrival, UN staff members 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.”
Leavitt expressed her disapproval of the incident, stating: “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.”
The United Nations later offered a more straightforward explanation.
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated: “In answers to the many questions received about the escalator incident, I have the following information to share.”
“President Trump, accompanied by the First Lady and delegation, arrived at the UNHQ building [on Tuesday] this morning and entered through the Delegate’s entrance.
“After passing through the security gates, President Trump and the First Lady approached the escalator. In an effort to document their arrival, a videographer from the US delegation stepped onto the escalator ahead of the President and First Lady.”
The spokesperson continued: “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 (9:50 am), the escalator came to a stop.
“Our technician, who was at the location, reset the escalator as soon as the delegation had climbed up to the second floor.
“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.”
He added: “The safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing. The videographer may have inadvertently triggered the safety function described above.”