When the escalator at the United Nations suddenly stopped after Donald Trump and Melania Trump stepped on it last September, cameras caught a brief, odd moment that quickly spread online. The video showed the pair pause before walking up the stopped escalator, while others used the stairs.
The incident happened in September 2025, but the President reportedly shared the anecdote from the moment at the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace on February 19, 2026.
The Irish Star reported that the President spoke about that moment again. But this time he added a surprising detail. He told the attendees, “First, we had an escalator that stopped. It’s lucky my movie star First Lady was in front of me, because I put my hand on the certain part of her body and was able to stop my fall.”
“Because I put my hand on a certain part of her body and I was able to stop my fall.” — trump, still recovering from scary escalator
Is that part of her body in the room with you, or did you just dream this during your morning nap today? https://t.co/bImZHwixqf pic.twitter.com/j5M2cwodfF
— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) February 19, 2026
“Because she had no trouble because that was a very sharp stop. So I said, ‘That was strange.’ I’ve been on a lot of escalators, and that’s never happened before. Usually, it stops very slowly; this was just BOOM,” Trump continued.
“But our First Lady was right in the proper location for me, I’m waving to people, and she was holding on a little tighter,” he added.
However, contrary to Trump’s story, netizens noted that the original footage did not show the President holding on to Melania in any way.
One X user labeled Trump’s claims to be false and wrote, “Wait! I just watched the video: escalator stops, they look over, Melanie starts walking up the stairs. NO TOUCHING PARTS OF HER BODY.”
Another user wrote, “If it’s karma, I’m a believer. If it’s a human, I need an address, to send the gift basket.” A third user mocked the retelling, saying. “Somebody deserves a raise!”
One other user wrote, “The elevator needs Nobel Prize!”
Wait! I just watched the video: escalator stops,they look over, Melanie starts walking up the stairs. NO TOUCHING PARTS OF HER BODY. pic.twitter.com/z5d3mDkY48
— Hiking Fellina – 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇨🇦🇬🇧 (@StKytti) February 19, 2026
While, some saw the remark as an offhand attempt to be funny, others said it showed a mismatch between Trump’s memory and recorded facts.
At the time of the incident, the United Nations confirmed that the escalator stopped abruptly due to a faulty mechanism. They assured that it was not deliberately done by someone to sabotage Donald Trump in any way.
Meanwhile, at the Board of Peace, Trump also announced that the United States would pledge $10 billion to the board. He described the amount as a “very small number” when compared to the massive cost of war.
President Donald Trump added that nine other countries had together committed another $7 billion to support relief and rebuilding efforts in Gaza. During his speech, Trump also warned Iran that if they did not agree to a nuclear deal in the next 10 to 15 days, then “bad things will happen.”
Well, it seems like Donald Trump definitely took “it a step further,” considering the ongoing US/Israel-Iran conflict, which has thrown the entire world and the United Nations upside down.
