Featured Image Credit: YouTube/ForbesBreakingNews
Topics: Donald Trump, New York, Social Media
Joe Yates
Topics: Donald Trump, New York, Social Media
After President Donald Trump became static while hopping onto an escalator, people have begun speculating that there could have been more to the moment.
While many fear there could have been something more sinister at play when the machine suddenly stopped, the 79-year-old managed to make light of the situation while speaking inside the General Assembly, at the UN headquarters in New York City, yesterday (September 24).
“All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that, on the way up, stopped right in the middle. If the first lady wasn’t in great shape, she would have fallen, but she’s in great shape. We’re both in good shape," the 79-year-old joked.
Now, taking to Twitter, one user questioned the security's response, writing: "When the escalator came to a sudden halt, Secret Service just looked around hoping someone would fix the problem.
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"That wasn’t supposed to happen and it turned Trump into a stationary target. Why did they not cover and evacuate him immediately?"
While another user explained the extensive safety measures already in place at the UN. They penned: "You do realize the entire UN is extensively sweeped, scanned, and monitored for any potential threats before Trump gets there, right?
"If somehow a hidden sniper was watching through a HVAC vent or something, it was not going to make a difference whether Trump came to a full stop or the escalator was moving 2-3ft a second.
"Some UN employees joked last week that they might stop the escalator when Trump was on it and it made it to the news. They should definitely be fired for the following, along with the teleprompter person, if they messed with that as well, but I doubt criminal charges will come from it."
Yes, the teleprompter broke as the Republican stepped up to give his speech and so he told his fellow world leaders that everything he says will 'come from the heart'. He went on to address the auditorium for 58 minutes - officials were asked to keep their speeches to around 15 minutes in length.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt took to the social media platform to share an extract from an article written by The Times on Sunday, which stated: "To mark Trump's arrival, UN staff members have joked that they may turn off the escalators and elevators and simply tell him they ran out of money, so he has to walk up the stairs."
Blasting whoever is to blame for the incident, Leavitt 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."
The UN has since provided a much more mundane explanation.
A spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has since issued the following statement: “In answers to the many questions received about the escalator incident, I have the following information to share.
"President Trump, accompanied by the First Lady and delegation, arrived at the UNHQ building [on Tuesday] this 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.”
He continued: "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 am), 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."
Adding: "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.”