The United Nations blamed President Trump for a stalled escalator and an inoperable teleprompter Tuesday, after the president chastised the international body for the technological glitches ahead of his speech to the General Assembly.
A videographer on the moving stairway ahead of Trump’s ascent activated a safety mechanism, according to the United Nations.
“In an effort to document their arrival, a videographer from the US delegation stepped on the escalator ahead of the President and First Lady,” a spokesperson told reporters.
“As the videographer, who was traveling backwards up the escalator, reached the top, the First Lady and President Trump mounted the steps at the bottom. At that point (9:50am), the escalator came to a halt,” they added, noting that the videographer may have “inadvertently” activated the safety feature.
The organization stated that the conclusion was reached following an investigation. According to a source who spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, the investigation also revealed that a White House staffer was operating the president’s teleprompter during the technical setback.
However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt published an article on Sunday alleging that jokes were being circulated about stopping the escalator prior to the president’s arrival to force him to walk for inconvenience.
“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,” she said in a social media post.
Elevator and escalator operations at the United Nations’ New York and Geneva offices have been halted in recent months to save money amid a “liquidity crisis” caused, in part, by reduced funding from the Trump administration, according to the Associated Press.
During his Tuesday address, the president slammed the international body for causing “uncontrolled migration” and called into question the U.N.’s entire purpose in front of world leaders.
“I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of each and every one of these countries, and never even received a phone call from the United Nations,” Mr. Trump said.
“All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that, on the way up, stopped right in the middle,” according to him. “If the first lady hadn’t been in such good shape, she would have fallen. “We are both in good shape.”
