Stephen Colbert Takes Aim at Trump’s Escalator Disaster at the United Nations

Stephen Colbert wasted no time turning President Donald Trump’s viral escalator malfunction into a comedic masterpiece. On The Late Show on September 24, Colbert quickly transformed the minor incident into a running joke, leaving the audience in stitches with a four-word nickname that perfectly captured the absurdity.

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The Escalator Incident: A Minor Glitch or Major Drama?

Trump and First Lady Melania Trump stood near the escalator when it suddenly stopped working. It seemed like a small issue at first. Trump joked during his UN speech, saying, “These are the two things I got from the United Nations — a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter.” However, things took a dramatic turn after the White House weighed in.

White House and Trump’s Dramatic Reaction

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took to X (formerly Twitter) to demand an investigation into the incident. She suggested that if someone had intentionally stopped the escalator, that person should face immediate firing and investigation. But Trump went further. He posted a long message on Truth Social, claiming that the malfunction wasn’t an accident but “absolutely sabotage.” He even argued that both he and the First Lady could have gotten injured by the “sharp edges” of the escalator steps.

Colbert’s Sharp Response: “Thin-Skinned Little Devil Baby”

Colbert couldn’t resist poking fun at Trump. He called him “the thin-skinned little devil baby” who can’t stand being ridiculed. To drive his point home, Colbert replayed footage of the incident and quipped, “Not to brag, sir, but the Late Show’s escalator is doing just fine.” Colbert’s sharp humor highlighted the president’s sensitivity and turned the moment into entertainment.

Introducing the “Escalator Investigator” and the Official Explanation

The segment took a funny turn when Colbert introduced the “Escalator Investigator,” a fictional character tasked with solving the case of the malfunction. The investigator humorously dug into the “mystery,” making light of the exaggerated attention given to the issue.

Later, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric explained that the escalator’s safety mechanism triggered due to the videographer’s actions. This safety feature, designed to stop the escalator to prevent accidents, likely went off when the videographer’s equipment neared the top.

Public Reaction: Ruthless and Hilarious

Online users didn’t hold back in their response. One wrote, “The person who turned off the escalator deserves a Nobel Peace Prize,” while another said, “Calling a broken escalator sabotage is some North Korean shit.” Many others noted the odd way both Trump and Melania looked at the cameras, as if trying to salvage the awkward moment. “Escalators freeze. Prompters glitch. Horses poop. Karma,” one user wrote, humorously summing it up.

Others added to the laughter, saying, “You know Trump watches this, and you know it pisses him off. That delights me.” Another person remarked, “Just think: if an escalator simply hadn’t worked 9 years ago, all of this crap could have been avoided.”

The Bigger Picture: A Trivial Incident Takes Over the News

Although the escalator incident started as a minor glitch, it quickly became one of the most discussed moments of Trump’s UN visit. The shift in focus from pressing global matters to a technical malfunction shows how easily the media—and public attention—can drift toward the absurd.

Colbert’s humor shines a light on Trump’s overreaction, turning what could have been a minor incident into a major talking point. Through humor, Colbert and the audience found a way to laugh at an otherwise awkward moment in presidential history.