A hot mic has revealed exactly what a reporter said to President Donald Trump after hitting him in the face with a microphone during a press conference last week.
Trump was addressing the media at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before leaving the DC-area following his speech at the Department of Justice (DOJ) Friday.
The commander-in-chief was in high spirits as he took questions from reporters about the situation in the Middle East before departing.
As he did so, a female reporter’s boom microphone – a mobile, soft, fuzzy but large mic that allows reporters to get sound when people are moving around – hit Trump in the mouth.
The president then closed his eyes and leaned back to avoid further contact as the unidentified reporter said: ‘I’m so sorry.’
It’s unclear what news outlet the reporter works for, but another angle of the moment showed a crowd of people gathered for the press conference.
The photo, shared on X, showed three people holding boom microphones – one of which was a woman with short hair who had headphones over her ears and a tan trench coat on.
Although he appeared a bit agitated by the incident, Trump was able to see the funny side and cracked a joke about it.
Donald Trump had to shake off a bizarre moment when a boom microphone hit him in the face during a press gaggle at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland
The photo, shared on X, showed three people holding boom microphones – one of which was a woman with short hair who had headphones over her ears and a tan trench coat on (far left)
‘She just made television tonight. She just became a big story tonight,’ Trump said of the mic operator.
He asked while unable to stop from laughing: ‘Did you see that?’
The president was praised by his supporters for how he dealt with the awkward scenario on camera.
‘A reporter just HIT President Trump with a microphone. But 47 handled it like a PRO,’ wrote one.
Others were a little more concerned that the mic was able to get so close to the president.
‘President Trump was just smacked in the face by a reporter’s boom mic. Unreal these people. Have some respect,’ said Trump booster Charlie Kirk, who added that the president handled it ‘gracefully.’
Another wrote: ‘That is a horrible safety threat. Why does secret service allow this? That person should be arrested and thoroughly investigated.’
‘An assassin with a ricin tipped microphone (an amount of only a few specs of dust would suffice) could kill the president in this manner,’ another user wrote, adding: ‘This is a security failure.’
Although he appeared a bit agitated by the incident, Trump was able to see the funny side and cracked a joke about it
Trump was in high spirits as he got ready to leave the area as he took a question about the situation in the Middle East just before the boom microphone hit him
While many were upset about what happened to Trump, others showed a bit of sympathy for the reporter.
‘Obviously this was an accident and I genuinely feel terrible for the person that made that mistake. They must be very embarrassed.’
The now-viral moment came after Trump’s speech at the DOJ in Washington was clear that the media had been biased against him, complaining at one point that some reporting by the news media is ‘illegal.’
‘These networks and these newspapers are really no different than the highly paid political operative. And it has to stop. It has to be illegal. It is influencing judges and it is really changing law and that just cannot be illegal. I don’t believe it is legal,’ he said.
Trump specifically had it out for the cable news networks like MSNBC, which he referred to with his traditional disdain.
‘I believe that CNN and MSDNC, who literally write 97.6% bad about me, are political arms of the Democrat Party. And in my opinion, they are really corrupt and they are illegal. What they do is illegal.’
‘She just made television tonight. She just became a big story tonight,’ Trump said of the mic operator as he laughed
There were a few hundred people in the audience for his remarks – all of them ardent Trump supporters.
He often railed against the ‘weaponization’ of the government against him, referring to the federal investigations into him.
Trump has felt empowered by a Supreme Court ruling that gives presidents immunity for any act conducted while they are in office.
He has filled the Justice Department top ranks with loyalists and his own personal defense attorneys.
These include Pam Bondi, who defended him at his impeachment trial in his first term, and two of his lawyers in the porn star hush money trial that saw Trump convicted by a New York judge last year.
In one of her first directives following her confirmation, Bondi ordered DOJ officials to ‘zealously defend’ the interests of the presidency.
The now-viral moment came after Trump’s speech at the DOJ in Washington was clear that the media had been biased against him, complaining at one point that some reporting by the news media is ‘illegal.’ (Pictured: Attorney General Pam Bondi escorting Trump into the Justice Department)
She escorted Trump into the department when he arrived to give his remarks. She showed him his official portrait on the wall.
‘That’s a nice picture,’ Trump said.
The president and the other speakers delivered their remarks beside a pile of boxes and packages labeled as ‘DEA Evidence.’ The podium was flanked by signs with the message: ‘Fighting Fentanyl in America.’
The packages represented 180 kgs of fentanyl, which Bondi noted could kill 90 million people – the population of Texas, California and Florida – in its pure form.
More than 200 local sheriffs, law enforcement officials, staff from Capitol Hill offices, families impacted by the fentanyl epidemic and others wearing red ‘Make America Great Again’ caps gathered to hear from Trump.
