UN says escalator failure was an accident, not intentional sabotage
The Guardian reported that on the evening of September 23, US President Trump and First Lady Melania stepped onto an escalator at the United Nations headquarters when it suddenly stopped. Following this, the White House requested an investigation into possible acts of intentional sabotage.
The United Nations responded by refuting this claim, stating that the incident was an accident.
A spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said that a cameraman walking ahead of Trump likely triggered an internal safety device - a device designed to automatically stop the escalator if there is a risk of clothing or items being caught in it.
Another UN spokesperson, Farhan Haq, told reporters that the escalator system "was immediately restarted and is now operating normally."
Despite the United Nations' assurances, previous reports indicated that some staff had joked about stopping the escalator during Trump's visit, which has led to more speculation about the incident.
Comment: The joke by UN staff about "stopping the escalator" is not factual evidence, but it adds a dramatic footnote to the incident. The fact that such speculation has been amplified reveals that the adversarial relationship between Trump and the UN has long been a backdrop - he later used the escalator and teleprompter malfunction as material to attack the UN's "inefficiency" in his speech at the General Assembly. For the UN, this was a passive public relations crisis, needing to explain the technical issue and also dispel political interpretations, representing a microcosm of international political maneuvering.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844132256557188/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.