Anthony Albanese nearly falls over and drops an F-bomb as escalator suddenly grinds to a halt in awkward moment that overshadows speech

By CAITLIN POWELL - NEWS REPORTER Published: 02:53, 23 July 2026 | Updated: 02:59, 23 July 2026 Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tripped and swore while walking down an escalator before his address to Labor's fiftieth national conference.  Before his speech on Thursday, Albanese was riding the escalator when it suddenly stopped.  The prime minister almost fell, gripping both banisters to stabilise himself while saying 'f***'.  He then looked behind him at his entourage, frustrated, before continuing to walk down the static stairs. The incident prompted questions about whether sabotage was involved. 'Albo arriving at his conference. Someone pushed the button on the escalator,' one X user said.  Another social media said: 'Looking back like someone pushed him.' The scene was reminiscent of when US President Donald Trump fell on an escalator in September last year at United Nations headquarters in New York.  Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tripped and swore while walking down an escalator before his address to Labor's fiftieth national conference The prime minister almost fell, gripping both banisters to stabilise himself while saying 'f***' After the almost-tumble, the White House shared concerns over whether someone deliberately stopped the escalator. 'If someone at the U.N. intentionally stopped the escalator as the President and First Lady were stepping on, they need to be fired and investigated immediately,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X after the incident. In response to the incident, the UN said a safety mechanism may have been triggered by his videographer.