All Planned Out? White House Accuses United Nations Security of Plot to 'Embarrass' Trump and Melania as Escalator Breaks Down... Forcing Prez to Use 'Beaten Down' Ankles on Stairs
Donald and Melania Trump's UN appearance was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Sept. 24 2025, Published 1:10 p.m. ET
The country may be buried in issues, but the White House is putting everything aside to call out those responsible for the escalator at the United Nations headquarters breaking down, forcing President Trump and his wife, Melania, to take the stairs, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The UN security and its staff are now being accused of deliberately messing with the escalator to "embarrass" Trump.
The Escalator Theory
President Trump and his wife, Melania, ran into issues while at the UN conference.
On Tuesday, September 24, Trump, who is said to be suffering from swollen ankles, and Melania, 55, found themselves having to use the stairs, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was not happy.
"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,' Leavitt raged on X, as she responded to a report by The Times, which claimed UN staff had "joked" they could turn off the escalators and elevators in the building.
Trump, 79, also commented on the escalator fail during his speech, as he complained: "All I got from the United Nations was an escalator on the way up that stopped in the middle… If the first lady wasn't in great shape, she would've fallen."
In response, the United Nations speculated the escalator stopped because it may have been triggered for safety as a videographer was standing backward ahead of Trump, trying to film him.
The controversial politician isn't up for being too physical these days, as an insider previously claimed Trump prefers to hold events in the Oval Office rather than in large spaces because it means he "doesn't actually have to stand up for prolonged periods of time."
What's With Trump's Ankles?
The couple was forced to use the stairs after the elevator and escalator failed to work during their appearance.
It may also have to do with Trump's swollen ankles, as his apparent efforts to keep footage of his "cankles" hidden during official appearances fueled further speculation about his condition.
During an Oval Office meeting with European leaders on August 18, Trump reportedly chose to sit behind the Resolute Desk to obscure his visibly swollen ankles from the cameras. At the time, MSNBC personality Lawrence O'Donnell claimed the former reality star was being evasive regarding his health.
"Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska was also indicative of his declining health," O'Donnell claimed, and compared Trump's swollen limbs to those of the 72-year-old Russian dictator, who exhibited no visible signs of similar ailments.
Trump Goes Off On Allies
The 79-year-old seemed to take out his anger on his allies, bashing them during his bizarre speech.
Trump had no problem standing behind the podium during his fiery speech at the UN, using his time to bash his allies and their decisions. At one point, Trump falsely claimed London is moving toward "Sharia law" under the mayor, Sadiq Khan.
"I look at London, where you have a terrible mayor, terrible, terrible mayor. It’s been so changed, so changed that they want to go to Sharia law, but you're in a different country. You can't do that," Trump whined.
A spokesperson for Khan quickly hit back and stated, "We are not going to dignify [Trump's] appalling and bigoted comments with a response. London is the greatest city in the world, safer than major US cities, and we're delighted to welcome the record number of US citizens moving here."
Trump wasn't done, as he also raged, "Your countries are going to hell," when discussing open borders.
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Trump called the equipment 'faulty' following his apperance.
Following his speech, Trump, who also had to deal with a glitchy teleprompter, wrote on Truth Social: "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."
