Karoline Leavitt demands firings after Trump forced to walk up non-working UN escalator
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 26, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called for firings at the United Nations after an escalator stopped working ahead of President Donald Trump's speech to the General Assembly.

"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 wrote Tuesday on X.

The press secretary pointed to a Sunday report from The Times of London as evidence of foul play.

"UN staff members have joked that they may turn off the escalators and elevators and simply tell him they ran out of money," the paper reported on Sunday.

Trump complained about having to walk up the escalator during his speech on Tuesday. He also said his teleprompted wasn't working.

"These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter," he griped.