White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt came out swinging on Tuesday, accusing United Nations staff of possible sabotage after President Donald Trump was forced to walk up a broken escalator ahead of his high-profile speech to the UN General Assembly.
The incident, seemingly minor on its face, triggered a firestorm from Leavitt, who took to X to demand accountability from the international body.
“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 wrote.
The spark behind the outrage? A report from The Times of London on Sunday, which claimed that UN staff may have been joking about turning off escalators and elevators to mess with Trump.
“UN staff members have joked that they may turn off the escalators and elevators and simply tell him they ran out of money,” the Times reported.
Leavitt is treating it as no laughing matter.
This latest spat highlights the continued friction between Trump’s circle and international institutions. What might have passed as a routine mechanical glitch quickly turned into a political flashpoint, with Leavitt essentially accusing the UN of staging a petty stunt to humiliate Trump on the world stage.
During his Tuesday address, Trump made sure to air his frustrations, pointing fingers at the UN’s preparation — or lack thereof.
“These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter,” he griped during his speech.
While there’s no hard evidence that the escalator malfunction was deliberate, the optics were undeniable: the President of the United States, known for his preference for grand entrances, was left to hoof it up a halted escalator in front of the cameras. Add a glitched teleprompter to the mix, and you’ve got a scene tailor-made for conservative outrage.
No word yet from UN officials on whether an investigation is being considered.
