“All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle,” he remarked, gesturing with his hand.

But it turns out the cause was closer to Trump.

As he started his speech, Trump also mentioned that the teleprompter wasn’t functioning. He joked that whoever was responsible for the teleprompter “is in big trouble.”

A UN official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the issue, noted that the White House was in control of the teleprompter for the president.

Regardless of the cause, it’s not unusual for escalators at the UN to stop working, as staff and visitors know quite well.

In recent months, UN offices in New York and Geneva have occasionally shut off elevators and escalators in an effort to save money due to a “liquidity crisis” affecting the world body.

That’s due in part to delays in funding from the US, which is the top donor of the world body.