After US President Donald Trump complained in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday that an escalator in the building failed just as he and his wife Melania stepped onto it en route to the hall for his address, the UN Secretary-General’s office released a detailed explanation of what it said went wrong.
“All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle,” Trump sniped from the podium. “If the first lady wasn’t in great shape, she would have fallen, but she’s in great shape.”
“In answers to the many questions received about the escalator incident,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a statement later Tuesday, “I have the following information to share: President Trump, accompanied by the First Lady and delegation, arrived at the UNHQ building [on Tuesday] morning, and entered through the Delegate’s entrance. After passing through the security gates, President Trump and the First Lady approached the escalator. In an effort to document their arrival, a videographer from the US delegation stepped onto the escalator ahead of the President and First Lady.”
“As the videographer, who was traveling backwards up the escalator, reached the top, the First Lady, followed by President Trump, each mounted the steps at the bottom. At that moment (9:50 a.m.), the escalator came to a stop.
“Our technician, who was at the location, reset the escalator as soon as the delegation had climbed up to the second floor.
“A subsequent investigation, including a readout of the machine’s central processing unit, indicated that the escalator had stopped after a built-in safety mechanism on the comb step was triggered at the top of the escalator. The safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing. The videographer may have inadvertently triggered the safety function described above.”
The spokesperson did not immediately respond to Trump’s second complaint, that the teleprompter failed when he made it to the hall and was invited to deliver his address.
“I don’t mind making this speech without a teleprompter because the teleprompter is not working,” Trump told the watching world at the start of his speech. “I feel very happy to be up here with you; nevertheless, and that way you speak more from the heart. I can only say that whoever’s operating this teleprompter is in big trouble.”
Trump returned to the issue a few minutes later: “These are the two things I got from the United Nations, a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter. Thank you very much. And by the way, it’s working now, just went on. Thank you.”