Colbert ridicules Trump over UN escalator moment, calling him a "thin-skinned little devil baby" on Late Show
UN says escalator stoppage was caused by an accidental safety trigger from a Trump team member; Trump demanded arrests, as late-night hosts weigh in.
Stephen Colbert used the United Nations escalator moment to mock President Donald Trump on Wednesday's Late Show, calling him a "thin-skinned little devil baby" after a video captured an escalator stopping as he arrived at the United Nations. The comedian rolled the clip for his audience and offered a running commentary that framed the moment as fodder for satire rather than a routine political jab. Colbert did not let the moment pass without a punchline, declaring with theatrical flair that the moment represented a character flaw he described in harsh terms.
Colbert’s commentary included a recurring gag in which he portrayed himself as an investigator assessing the incident, a device he used to keep the audience engaged while highlighting the absurdity of the moment. The late-night host’s remarks came as political satire continues to be a staple of his program, even as the events he references unfold on the world stage. The clip he aired shows Trump arriving at the escalator, which then stalls, prompting the president and his entourage to proceed on foot up the still stairs. The moment quickly became a talking point across social media and political commentary alike.
In a statement compatible with the network’s entertainment-focused approach to political events, the United Nations later clarified that the escalator stoppage was caused by an accidental trigger of the escalator’s safety mechanism, attributed to a member of Trump’s team. The UN said the stoppage was not due to a deliberate act or a fault in the equipment itself, and that Trump and his party continued up the escalator after the train of events. Trump, according to contemporaneous reporting, was livid about the disruption and later called for arrests to be made over the incident.
The moment has become a focal point for late-night hosts, who often use high-profile political moments to comment on broader themes in governance and public rhetoric. Colbert’s treatment of the incident as a source of humor fits within a longer tradition of satirical coverage that seeks to illuminate the human dimensions of political theater while maintaining a neutral, fact-based tone about the underlying events. While the entertainment format allows for sharper quips, the episode also underscores how a single moment can ripple through media coverage, prompting reflections on decorum, accountability, and the public persona of a sitting president.
The timing of Colbert’s segment highlights how cultural figures interpret and respond to political moments in real time. Entertainment outlets frequently translate such occurrences into shareable moments that reach wider audiences, sometimes shaping public perception as the news cycle continues to unfold. HuffPost’s coverage of Colbert’s monologue notes the explicit insult directed at Trump and the act of labeling the moment with a satirical investigative frame, illustrating how late-night humor functions as both commentary and entertainment. As the day’s headlines continue to develop, observers will likely watch for how this exchange influences the broader conversation about the president’s public persona and the role of satire in political discourse.