Some Republicans suggested the U.N. had targeted Donald Trump with an escalator malfunction. Evidently, the truth was more benign.
The rapid rise and sudden fall of the United Nations escalator âcontroversyâ www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
— Margie (@paeznyc.bsky.social) 2025-09-24T21:18:52.855Z
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/rapid-rise-sudden-fall-united-nation-escalator-controversy-rcna233450
During his ridiculous address to the U.N. General Assembly, Donald Trump covered quite a bit of ground, but his speech included a curious reference to, of all things, an escalator......
Evidently, the truth was more benign. NBC News reported:
The United Nations has concluded its one-day investigation into the mysterious halting of President Donald Trumps escalator Tuesday as he arrived at the U.N. General Assembly. The accidental culprit? A White House videographer who most likely tripped a safety mechanism.
A U.N. spokesperson explained: T
he escalator had stopped after a built-in safety mechanism on the comb step was triggered at the top of the escalator. The safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing. The [White House] videographer may have inadvertently triggered the safety function described above......
All of this, of course, came before the public learned that it was a White House videographer that apparently triggered the escalators safety measures.
Kevin Kruse, a historian at Princeton University, noted soon after:
This is the perfect encapsulation of Trumpism because of its obsession with imagery, the White House crew caused a problem but blamed it on other people, leading to MAGA making threats against the United Nations for their own screw up.