President Donald Trump’s visit to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 24, 2025, was supposed to be a moment of global statesmanship. Instead, it quickly spiraled into a spectacle of technical mishaps, political finger-pointing, and viral mockery that echoed far beyond the halls of the U.N. headquarters. From a stalled escalator to a malfunctioning teleprompter—and a speech that left world leaders unimpressed—the day played out like a political farce, with repercussions rippling through the American media and political landscape.
The trouble began the moment President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrived at the U.N. building. As the couple stepped onto an escalator, it abruptly ground to a halt, leaving them stranded at the bottom. The pair were forced to ascend the stairs to the second floor, a scene captured by cameras and soon dissected across social media platforms. According to the Anchorage Daily News, the technical glitch was followed by another: when Trump took the stage to address the General Assembly, his teleprompter failed, forcing him to improvise his remarks. Undeterred, Trump leaned into his trademark ad-libbing, delivering a speech peppered with boasts, veiled threats, and a striking rebuke: “Your countries are going to hell.”
The president’s unscripted address did little to impress the assembled world leaders. As reported by the Anchorage Daily News, the mishaps fueled a flurry of conspiracy theories and political commentary. Fox News host Jesse Watters, speaking on “The Five,” took the opportunity to suggest, albeit jokingly, that the U.S. should “bomb” or “gas” the U.N. headquarters in retaliation for what he called an “insurrection.” Watters continued, “OK, but we need to destroy it. Maybe can we demolish the building? Have everybody leave and then we’ll demolish the building.” His co-hosts groaned, but the comments underscored the fevered atmosphere surrounding the incident.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the sentiment that foul play might be at work. On X (formerly Twitter), she posted, “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.” Her post referenced media reports that some U.N. staff had joked about turning off the escalators ahead of Trump’s arrival. The Secret Service was promptly deployed to investigate what Trump privately described as “three sinister events”—the escalator failure, the teleprompter malfunction, and audio issues during his speech.
Not everyone was convinced of a conspiracy. According to a spokesperson for U.N. Secretary General António Guterres, the culprit behind the escalator stoppage may have been closer to home. The spokesperson explained that Trump’s own videographer, running ahead to capture the moment, likely triggered a safety mechanism designed to prevent accidents. “The videographer may have inadvertently triggered the safety function,” said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, as cited by the Irish Star. The teleprompter issue, meanwhile, was traced back to the White House: delegations are permitted to operate their own equipment, and U.N. technicians were not involved in running Trump’s teleprompter. Multiple sources, including the Associated Press and ABC News, confirmed that the White House was responsible for the technical setup.
Despite these explanations, the notion of sabotage persisted in some circles. Trump himself took to Truth Social to air his grievances, writing, “The teleprompter was broken and the escalator came to a sudden halt as we were riding up to the podium, but both of those events probably made the speech more interesting than it would have been otherwise. It is always an honor to speak at the United Nations, even if their equipment is somewhat faulty.” He went further, urging the U.N. to preserve security footage as the Secret Service launched its inquiry. “This wasn’t a coincidence, this was triple sabotage,” Trump declared.
The incident quickly became fodder for political adversaries and late-night comedians. California Governor Gavin Newsom mocked the president’s travails on X, writing in all caps, “DOZY DON WAS DEFEATED BY THE ESCALATOR, POOR GUY! THE ENTIRE WORLD IS LAUGHING AT THE LOW IQ ‘PRESIDENT.’ NEXT STOP: THE BEST ROOM AT MEMORY MEADOWS RETIREMENT RESORT. TYLENOL INCLUDED. ENJOY YOUR STAY, DON!” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz chimed in, calling for prosecution of those responsible for the escalator malfunction, tongue firmly in cheek.
Meanwhile, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, whose show had been suspended by ABC the previous week following conservative backlash over his remarks about the MAGA movement, returned to the airwaves on September 23. Kimmel wasted no time lampooning Trump’s U.N. misadventures. During his monologue, he quipped about the president’s “three very sinister events” and posted on social media, “Headed to Brooklyn! Escalator is working great! #KimmelinBrooklyn.” The jokes resonated with viewers: Kimmel’s opening monologue amassed 11 million YouTube views in just 12 hours, setting a new record for his show.
Kimmel also used the opportunity to reflect on the importance of free speech, stating, “This show is not important. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.” His comments highlighted the broader debate over political discourse and the boundaries of satire in an era of heightened polarization and frequent attacks on public figures.
Amid the media circus, another subplot emerged: speculation about the state of the Trumps’ marriage. Footage from aboard Marine One showed a seemingly tense exchange between the president and first lady following their U.N. appearance. Trump, finger wagging, appeared to vent about the day’s mishaps, while Melania shook her head. According to lip reader Jeremy Freeman, Melania said, “You just continued,” to which Trump replied, “It was unbelievable. How can you do that.” Despite the apparent disagreement, the couple exited the helicopter holding hands and smiling for the cameras, presenting a united front.
Still, the moment reignited rumors about the couple’s relationship. Author Michael Wolff asserted that the Trumps “live separate lives,” a claim the White House has vehemently denied, dismissing Wolff as “a fraud” and a “lying sack of s--t.” Yet Melania’s limited public appearances—just 19 days in Trump’s second term, compared to 40 in his first, according to CNN—have fueled ongoing speculation. She notably skipped high-profile events, including an August summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska and a meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, though she did accompany Trump to the United Kingdom in September, reportedly staying in a separate suite at Windsor Castle.
As the dust settled, the episode left behind more than a trail of memes and headlines. For Trump and his supporters, the U.N. visit became another flashpoint in a narrative of grievance and suspicion. For critics and late-night hosts, it was a moment of schadenfreude and political theater. And for the rest of the world, it served as a reminder that, sometimes, even the most powerful leaders can be undone by something as mundane as a stalled escalator.
