President Trump and the First Lady had an awkward moment at the United Nations this week. The escalator they were using stopped suddenly just as they were about to address the General Assembly in New York. The UN called it a technical malfunction, but some reactions went far beyond that.
Fox News host Jesse Watters suggested the incident was intentional and called it an “insurrection.” He even said the U.S. should either leave the UN or bomb it. Many viewers found this extreme and out of proportion. Some on social media questioned the priorities of Fox News and those taking the incident so seriously.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also implied the stoppage could be sabotage. She claimed the Secret Service was looking into the incident and suggested UN staffers might have been plotting against the president. She added concerns about the teleprompter and audio during the speech, saying it all “doesn’t look like a coincidence” to her.
UN officials offered a simpler explanation. Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for Secretary-General António Guterres, said Trump’s own videographer may have accidentally triggered the escalator’s safety stop. The mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects from being caught in the gears.
Reports indicate UN staffers had been joking about turning off the escalator, but there is no evidence of any deliberate sabotage. The incident seems to be a mix of coincidence, technical safety features, and overreactions from some commentators.
