NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called for the firing and investigation of those responsible for a stalled escalator that carried President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at Tuesday’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The escalator malfunction occurred before Trump addressed the General Assembly in New York.
He and the first lady were forced to walk up the stalled escalator.
TRUMP DRAWS LAUGHS FROM WORLD LEADERS MOMENTS INTO UN SPEECH
“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,” Leavitt posted on X.
A United Nations spokesperson later told Fox News that someone from the U.S. delegation or security detail ran up the escalator and then back down again before the Trumps were off the escalator. The act of running down the up-moving escalator triggered an alarm, halting it.
“We understand it was someone from the President’s party who ran ahead of the president and inadvertently triggered the stop mechanism,” said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.
The U.N. added that there was nothing nefarious about what happened.
Fox News Digital reached out to the U.N. and the U.S. Secret Service. The White House referred Fox News Digital to Leavitt’s post on X.
TRUMP SLAMS UN FOR ‘CREATING NEW PROBLEMS,’ QUESTIONS ITS ROLE IN FIERY UNGA SPEECH
The escalator malfunction wasn’t the only breakdown. Trump was forced to improvise his speech after a teleprompter froze.
“I feel very happy to be up here with you, nevertheless — and that way you speak more from the heart — I can only say that whoever is operating this teleprompter is in big trouble,” he said, drawing laughs.
The teleprompter resumed a few minutes into his address.
“I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of these countries and never even received a phone call from the United Nations offering to help in finalizing the deal,” Trump said. “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’ve fallen. But she’s in great shape. We’re both in good shape. We both stood,” he added, drawing more laughter. “These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter.”
Read the full article here
