Melania Trump’s Composed “Sphinx-Like” Smile After UN Escalator Glitch Steals the Spotlight
A rocky arrival at the United Nations
Melania Trump found herself at the center of attention alongside her husband, former President Donald Trump, during their Tuesday appearance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Their entrance hit an unexpected snag when the escalator they were riding reportedly “stopped” midway—an awkward pause that came on the same day Trump’s teleprompter briefly malfunctioned before his address to world leaders.
Both Donald and Melania turned to look behind them as the escalator halted. The moment was brief, but it triggered outsized reactions—and plenty of headlines.
White House reaction vs. UN explanation
According to Newsweek, the White House was displeased about the incident and even pushed for an inquiry into whether the escalator had been stopped intentionally to embarrass the former president. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News there would be consequences if that were proven true.
“Accountability,”
she said, would follow any finding that the stoppage was deliberate.
The United Nations, for its part, attributed the glitch to safety protocols, stating that a safety mechanism was inadvertently activated, bringing the escalator to a halt.
Trump’s aside about Melania’s health
During his UN remarks, Trump referenced the incident directly, saying the organization had given him:
“an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle,”
before adding a pointed aside about the first lady’s fitness:
“If the first lady wasn’t in great shape, she would’ve fallen.”
Melania Trump remained in the hall for the speech, which reportedly stretched to an hour—framed as the longest UN address by a U.S. president to date.
Body-language take: a “Sphinx-like” smile
While Trump’s words commanded the podium, photos of Melania circulated widely, thanks to a subtle expression that drew fresh scrutiny. Speaking to the Daily Mail, body-language expert Judi James contrasted Melania’s poise with her husband’s visible irritation about the escalator.
“As her husband roasted, toasted and scorched his audience like s’mores on a campfire, Melania sat elegantly in her seat with just a small eye-dart suggesting she was in any way associated or involved with the man on stage,”
James said, noting that the former first lady projected detachment throughout much of the address.
James added that Melania produced what she called a “Sphinx-like” or wry smile at a key moment—specifically when Trump aired his grievance about the stalled ride.
“She did bother herself to produce a subtle wry smile of agreement though as Trump raged against the broken escalator that could have ditched both himself and his FLOTUS had they not been so admirably fit.”
Melania’s low-profile approach, high-impact moments
In recent years, Melania Trump has kept a relatively low profile, appearing selectively at high-visibility events such as the recent UK state visit. That limited public schedule means that small moments—like an understated smile or a composed glance—often carry outsized interpretive weight. Here, her calm demeanor amid a minor logistical hiccup and a high-stakes speech quickly became the visual narrative of the day.
The takeaway
An escalator stoppage and a teleprompter hiccup might normally be footnotes at the UN General Assembly. Yet this time, Melania Trump’s restrained, “Sphinx-like” smile became the headline image—an emblem of composure that contrasted with her husband’s sharper tone. Whether read as polite agreement, inscrutable neutrality, or quiet solidarity, it was the kind of subtle, camera-ready moment that keeps Melania in the public conversation even when she says very little.