Jimmy Kimmel Mocks MAGA’s Hysterics Over Escalatorgate
“You know what another word for frozen escalator is? Stairs,” said Kimmel.
Jimmy Kimmel can’t believe how big of a deal Fox News is making out of an escalator malfunction at the U.N. headquarters on Tuesday.
Although Trump was unharmed by the escalator’s sudden pause, that hasn’t stopped Fox News pundits from echoing MAGA talking points, declaring it “sabotage” in need of investigation.
“I want to go see the escalator that tried to viciously attack the president this week,” joked Kimmel in his Thursday monologue.
Donald Trump (C) and first lady Melania Trump (R) walk up an escalator as they arrive to the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly.
Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
“Have you been enjoying Trump’s most ridiculous distraction from the Epstein files yet?” Kimmel asked his viewers.
“The president claims he’s the victim of a triple sabotage during his visit to the United Nations building in New York on Tuesday.”
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Referencing Trump’s rant on Truth Social on Wednesday, Kimmel summed up the president’s complaints: “The teleprompter wasn’t working. There were issues with the sound system. And most nefariously of all, his escalator stopped.”
“The U.N. says they think it was Trump’s own videographer that accidentally kicked a safety mechanism, but Magatha Christie and his team of defective detectives, they do not believe it,” Kimmel said.
“They are on the case,” Kimmel joked. “This was not just a minor incident. This was a harrowing escape.”
Rep. Greg Steube: "Thankfully the first lady and the president had their hands on the rails that were going up the escalator, or they likely would've fallen down and injured themselves. It seems to be intentional ... I don't know why we're still part of the UN." pic.twitter.com/4rBLUeZsrV
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 25, 2025
Kimmel showed a montage of Fox News hosts and pundits, including Jesse Waters and Rep. Greg Steube, dramatically discussing the incident as if it was a near-death experience.
The final clip showed Fox anchor Maria Bartiromo declaring, “This could have been a massive, massive issue, and the president being frozen there in one place makes him vulnerable.”
“Unless he could walk?” Kimmel replied.
Maria Bartiromo: "The escalator stopped as soon as he and the first lady stepped on it. Look at how great Melania was. She's unphased. She walks on it ... but this could've been a massive, massive issue. The president being frozen there in one place makes him vulnerable." pic.twitter.com/1zDc4dAvaM
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 25, 2025
“They act like they dropped him into shark-infested waters. It was an escalator!” said Kimmel.
“You know what another word for frozen escalator is? Stairs,” Kimmel joked.
He concluded, “I mean, I’m confused. Is [Trump] the strongest, healthiest, most physically powerful man-beast ever elected president, or a brittle bone grandma with osteoporosis? I don’t know. Which is it?”
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