Overview

• An escalator at UN headquarters stopped as President Donald Trump and the first lady arrived for the 80th General Assembly, forcing them to walk the remaining steps.
• UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said a safety device was inadvertently triggered by someone ahead of the president and that the equipment was quickly restarted.
• White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called for the firing and investigation of any UN staffer if the stoppage were intentional and cited a Times report about staff jokes.
• Trump referenced the incident in his address to criticize the organization and later joked about it online, as the UN clarified his teleprompter is operated by the White House.
• Coverage dubbed the episode “Escalatorgate,” with conservative commentators amplifying suspicions and AFP reporters noting elevator outages at the UN are common, including an extreme remark from Fox News host Jesse Watters.