Overview

• The escalator at UN headquarters stopped as President Trump and First Lady Melania ascended to the General Assembly, an incident captured on video.
• A UN spokesperson told AFP the stoppage was an accidental activation of a safety mechanism by someone ahead of the president.
• White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt called for an investigation and said anyone who intentionally caused the stop should be fired and investigated.
• The teleprompter failed for roughly the first ten minutes of Trump’s address, with later reporting attributing the glitch to a White House video technician.
• Trump joked about the mishaps during his speech, as media labeled the episode “Escalatorgate” and public debate over accountability continued.