Trump calls UN escalator outage 'absolutely sabotage,' urges arrests

President Donald Trump on Wednesday described an escalator outage at the United Nations headquarters as “absolutely sabotage” and urged that those responsible be arrested, tying the incident to his appearance before world leaders in New York. The episode occurred Tuesday as he and First Lady Melania Trump stepped onto an escalator at the U.N. campus on their way to deliver remarks to the General Assembly.

The incident unfolded as the couple reached the Main Speaking Floor, with video footage showing Melania Trump jerking forward when the escalator suddenly stopped. A U.N. spokesperson noted that a videographer from the U.S. delegation had stepped onto the escalator ahead of the president and first lady, and that the stop occurred as the videographer reached the top. Stéphane Dujarric described the sequence as the videographer traveling backward up the escalator when the stop happened at about 9:50 a.m. local time. The spokesman also said a built‑in safety mechanism on the comb step was triggered at the top of the escalator to prevent injuries or entanglement.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump tied the escalator stoppage to what he described as a broader pattern of interference at the U.N., citing a Times of London report in which staff allegedly joked about turning off the escalator so Trump would have to walk to the hall to speak. He demanded an immediate investigation and said all security tapes should be saved, including the emergency stop button. He noted that the Secret Service is involved and asserted that the incident amounted to “sabotage.”

Trump's claims come alongside other reported disruptions during his UN visit. He said his teleprompter shut down during his speech, leaving many in the auditorium unable to hear him unless they wore an earpiece. He said the screen looked “stone cold dark” at first and that the teleprompter recovered about 15 minutes later. After the remarks, he told Melania, “How did I do?” and she replied that she could not hear a word he said, according to Trump. He described the sequence as a triple disruption at the U.N. and urged accountability for those responsible.

The United Nations did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Post. Stéphane Dujarric offered a formal account of the escalator incident, stressing that the safety mechanism was triggered as the videographer, traveling backward, and the First Lady were at the lower portion of the escalator. He also indicated that the escalator’s readout suggested the stop was a function of the machine’s built‑in safety features rather than a deliberate act against any individual. The agency did not confirm whether a full internal investigation had begun or whether security footage had been preserved beyond routine review.

The escalator episode was part of a broader set of notable glitches Trump described during the UN visit. In addition to the escalator and teleprompter problems, he said the audio in the auditorium was insufficient for attendees not wearing earpieces, complicating the delivery of his remarks. He asserted that the overall experience underscored a hostile environment at the United Nations and suggested that the combination of failures was part of a coordinated attempt to disrupt his speech.

The White House and U.N. officials have not publicly corroborated all of Trump’s characterizations, and U.N. aides maintained that a videographer’s position on the escalator helped trigger the safety feature. The agency said the feature exists to prevent people or objects from being caught in the machinery and to protect the gears from damage. White House aides described the incidents as isolated, routine malfunctions that were resolved quickly, though they did not offer a formal investigation timetable.

As the UN General Assembly gathered, Trump pressed his case that the escalator outage was a deliberate act and pressed for a full accounting. He argued that preserving security tapes and the emergency stop button would be essential to understand what happened and to identify who was responsible. The incident underscores how even high‑profile appearances can be complicated by technology and mechanical failures, even as political tensions surface in a global forum.

Images from the scene provided a visual counterpoint to the verbal dispute.

The episode illustrates the fraught dynamics surrounding Trump’s UN appearance, including how moments of logistical trouble can be leveraged for political messaging. While Trump framed the events as deliberate sabotage, UN officials described a plausible, ordinary sequence in which a third party’s position and a safety feature conspired to halt the escalator momentarily. The unfolding accounts highlight the tension between presidential messaging and the practicalities of hosting a high‑level international event in a historically symbolically charged setting.

As investigators and security teams assess what occurred, the public record remains incomplete. The UN’s initial explanation pointed to the videographer’s position and a top‑of‑escalator safety mechanism as the proximate cause, while Trump framed the events as part of a broader effort to undermine him. The investigation narrative could evolve as more surveillance material is reviewed and official statements are issued closer to the next steps in the inquiry.