President Donald Trump appeared to laugh it off Tuesday when an escalator and a teleprompter both malfunctioned during his United Nations visit -- but for US officials it was no laughing matter.

The White House called for an investigation into whether the moving stairway was stopped on purpose to humiliate the US president, who bashed the global body in his speech to the UN General Assembly in New York.

"If someone at the UN intentionally stopped the escalator as the President and First Lady were stepping on, they need to be fired and investigated immediately," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X.

A UN spokesman told AFP the mishap happened because someone in front of Trump accidentally set off a safety mechanism on the escalator, causing it to shut down.

However, Leavitt pointe

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