Overview

• After a one-day review, the UN said a White House photographer likely triggered the escalator’s safety sensor unintentionally.
• UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric explained the built-in safeguard halted the moving stairs to prevent entrapment of people or objects.
• President Trump and the First Lady kept their balance during the brief stoppage, and the escalator was restarted.
• White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt had called for immediate firing and an investigation if the halt were intentional, a claim not supported by the UN’s finding.
• A separate teleprompter failure affected Trump’s address, and the UN noted the device is operated by the visiting delegation from the White House; Trump joked about both issues and later posted on Truth Social.