During a recent address, the US president revisited a viral moment that once sparked headlines and frustration: the day an escalator abruptly stopped beneath him and First Lady Melania at the United Nations headquarters. The speech took place on February 19 at the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace, where officials from multiple countries gathered in Washington. As is often the case during his public remarks, President Trump moved fluidly between prepared statements and unscripted tangents. While greeting international representatives, he singled out Paraguay’s president, Santiago Peña Palacios, describing him as “young” and “handsome” before veering into an offbeat aside about his personal preferences, a comment that drew attention for its unusual tone.
The speech then pivoted to his relationship with the United Nations, which he described as generally positive despite a few memorable mishaps. Trump referenced a prior appearance at the UN headquarters in New York, recalling that his teleprompter had malfunctioned during a speech. He framed the technical difficulty as part of a broader pattern of inconveniences, leading into the widely circulated escalator incident that occurred in September. At the time, video footage showed the escalator stopping suddenly as he and Melania Trump stepped onto it, prompting speculation and online commentary.
Initially, members of the administration treated the malfunction seriously. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt publicly called for an immediate investigation, suggesting concern about whether the stoppage had been intentional. However, during the recent speech, Trump appeared more willing to joke about the episode. He described the escalator halting mid-ascent and quipped that he steadied himself by placing his hand on his wife as he avoided losing balance. He added that she had been “in the proper location” to prevent a fall, a remark delivered in his characteristic improvisational style.
The president also referenced a documentary centered on the first lady, titled Melania, noting its strong audience reception despite mixed critical response. Meanwhile, the UN previously explained that the escalator likely stopped because a safety mechanism was triggered, possibly by a videographer positioned behind the couple, according to reporting from BBC News. What was once treated as a serious disruption has since become, at least in the president’s retelling, a moment of levity woven into a broader speech marked by digressions and unexpected commentary.