Trump goes on confusing rant about Melania and details putting hand ‘on certain part of her body’ during Board of Peace speech

President Donald Trump spoke about the viral moment when an escalator suddenly stopped while he and First Lady Melania Trump were stepping onto it at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Anyone who has watched Trump give speeches knows he often drifts off topic, and that happened again on Thursday, February 19, during the first meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington. Leaders and officials from different countries had flown in for the event, and Trump spent part of his speech greeting guests and offering personal remarks.

At one point, he mentioned Paraguay’s president, Santiago Peña, describing him as young and handsome. Then, in a comment that caught many people off guard, Trump said he doesn’t like young, handsome men, adding that he prefers women. The remark drew awkward reactions in the room and quickly made its way onto social media.

Later in the speech, Trump brought up the now-viral escalator incident at the United Nations. The moment happened back in September when he and Melania were attending an event at the UN headquarters. As they stepped onto an escalator, it suddenly stopped moving, leaving them briefly stuck. Cameras captured the moment, and clips quickly spread online.

At the time, the White House did not find the situation funny. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called for the incident to be investigated right away. Some in Trump’s team suggested the escalator may have been stopped on purpose.

However, the United Nations later explained that the escalator likely shut down because of a built-in safety mechanism. According to reports, the device may have been triggered accidentally, possibly by a videographer standing behind the president and first lady.

Speaking at the Board of Peace meeting, Trump joked about the incident. He said he generally has a good relationship with the UN, except for what he called “escalator-gate.” He also complained that during a previous speech at the UN, his teleprompter stopped working.

While describing the escalator moment, Trump made another unusual comment. He said that as the escalator stopped, he placed his hand on Melania to steady himself and prevent a fall, calling her his “movie star first lady.” He added that she was in the “proper location” for him at that moment.

Trump also mentioned Melania’s documentary film, titled Melania. Although it did not receive strong reviews from critics, it reportedly scored very high with audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.

What began as a small mechanical issue at the UN turned into a viral political moment, and now months later, Trump appears to be laughing about it. Even so, the incident continues to attract attention, partly because of the president’s colorful retelling and the unexpected comments he made while describing it.