An escalator glitch at the United Nations this week, halting President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania mid-step, has sparked a federal investigation into possible sabotage by U.N. staffers.
According to Breitbart, the incident occurred Tuesday morning as the Trumps arrived for the 80th meeting of the General Assembly in New York City. The Secret Service is now digging into whether this was a deliberate act, following reports of U.N. staffers joking about shutting down escalators and elevators to protest funding cuts by the Trump administration.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t mince words on Fox News, pointing to a pattern of suspicious glitches during Trump’s visit. She noted the escalator stop, a malfunctioning teleprompter, and even odd audio levels during Trump’s speech, suggesting these weren’t mere accidents.
Before the General Assembly meeting, London’s Sunday Times reported U.N. staffers bantering about turning off escalators and elevators upon Trump’s arrival, citing budget constraints from U.S. funding cuts. If true, such jests take on a sinister tone given the actual shutdown that briefly stranded the President and First Lady.
This isn’t just about a stalled escalator; it’s a potential security breach, especially after two recent assassination attempts on Trump and the tragic killing of his ally Charlie Kirk. A deliberate act to impede the President’s movement, even momentarily, raises serious questions about safety protocols at an institution meant to foster global cooperation.
Leavitt, speaking to Jesse Watters Primetime, underscored the gravity, saying, “If we find that these were UN staffers who were purposely trying to trip up, literally trip up the president and the first lady of the United States, well, there better be accountability for those people.” Her resolve to personally ensure consequences signals the administration’s readiness to push back against any perceived hostility.
The United Nations quickly countered claims of sabotage, with spokesman Stephane Dujarric attributing the escalator stop to a safety mechanism triggered by a U.S. delegation videographer. He explained that a technician promptly restarted the system after climbing to the second floor.
A follow-up investigation, including a check of the escalator’s central processing unit, supposedly confirmed that this safety function was activated to prevent objects or people from getting caught in the gearing. Yet, this explanation does little to quell doubts when staffers’ prior comments about disrupting Trump’s visit are on record.
One has to wonder if this is just bureaucratic incompetence or something more calculated. When security for a world leader is at stake, especially one facing real threats, dismissing the incident as a fluke feels reckless at best.
President Trump, never one to shy from a stage, used the mishaps as material during his General Assembly address, quipping about a teleprompter operator in “big trouble.” He also recounted the escalator halt, joking that if the First Lady weren’t in great shape, she might have fallen.
His lighthearted take, saying, “These are the two things I got from the United Nations — a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter,” belies the underlying tension. Trump’s ability to spin frustration into a jab at U.N. inefficiencies highlights why his supporters see him as unshakable, even when literally stopped in his tracks.
Still, humor can’t erase the need for answers. If this was a petty protest by disgruntled staff over funding disputes, it’s a dangerous way to make a point, particularly in a climate of heightened threats against the President.
The Secret Service’s involvement sends a clear message: no stunt, however small, will be overlooked when it comes to protecting the President. Should evidence point to intentional tampering, the fallout could strain already tense U.S.-U.N. relations, especially given Trump’s history of critiquing the organization’s bloated budgets.
Leavitt’s insistence on accountability isn’t just posturing; it’s a reminder that globalist agendas shouldn’t trump national security, pun intended. Americans deserve to know if an international body, funded partly by their taxes, allowed childish antics to jeopardize their leader.
This incident, though seemingly trivial, peels back layers of distrust between the U.S. and the U.N., where policy disagreements often fester into symbolic slights. If sabotage is proven, it’s time for the administration to demand reforms, ensuring respect for American leadership isn’t just a courtesy but a non-negotiable standard.
