‘That’s what Real Manly Men do’: Newsom mocks Trump’s escalator mishap

File photo: California Governor Gavin Newsom and US President Donald Trump (Picture credit: AP)

California Governor Gavin Newsom took aim at President Donald Trump on social media Tuesday following the US leader’s visit to the United Nations, mocking the stalled escalator the president stepped on and highlighting what he called the broader absurdities of Trump’s speech.In a post to X, Newsom quipped, “I only walk up escalators because that’s what REAL MANLY MEN do”. Newsom wrote the comment replying to a video clip featuring Fox News’ Jesse Watters, in which he suggested that the glitches with the escalator and teleprompter might signify “an insurrection.” He had stated that the United States should either exit the United Nations or “bomb it.”In an earlier post, Newsom shared a video mocking Trump’s speech. In another post, he sharply criticised its content and wrote, “Trump’s teleprompter broke. He told every other nation they are going to hell. He bragged about violating international law. He blamed climate change on immigrants. He complained about the wind not blowing enough. And made a plug for his campaign hats. What a disgrace”. The escalator incident occurred as Trump and Melania stepped onto it, causing the First Lady, wearing high heels, to jolt forward. The couple then opted to walk up the motionless steps rather than switch to the adjacent moving escalator. Trump later joked in his General Assembly address that “all I got from the United Nations was an escalator that, on the way up, stopped right in the middle… and a bad teleprompter”.The White House expressed concerns about the mishap, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt demanding an investigation and citing reports that UN staffers had joked about cutting power to escalators amid US funding cuts. UN officials, however, denied sabotage, saying a safety mechanism was inadvertently triggered and the escalator was quickly reset.Trump further continued mocking the UN, claiming his teleprompter was faulty and that the glitches reflected the organisation’s broader failings. He described his speech as “a great honour” and said the technical issues “probably made the speech more interesting”.