A different kind of mic drop? President Donald Trump had a close encounter with some audio equipment when a boom microphone accidentally connected with the president’s face while he was answering questions from the press at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Undeterred by a mouthful of microphone fuzz, Trump leaned back and shot a playful glare at the unlucky reporter, raising his eyebrows in amusement as the mic was swiftly pulled away.
“Did you see that?” Trump asked an unknown person off-camera, before launching into one of his trademark asides. “She just made television tonight,” he quipped, referring to the perhaps over-eager, or just clumsy, journalist. “She just became a big story tonight.” Despite the awkward moment, Trump quickly resumed answering questions, showing no signs of being bothered by the interruption.
The boom mic incident wasn’t the only minor mishap for the president on Friday. Just before the mic strike, Trump had a brief stumble as he climbed the steps to Marine One with Elon Musk’s 4-year-old son, X. As the 78-year-old boarded the helicopter, his right foot caught the first step, but he quickly regained his balance and proceeded up the rest of the way without further incident.
The president didn’t let either fumble slow him down, as he continued to engage with the press before boarding Air Force One. Whether dodging microphones or recovering from a foot fumble, Trump’s ability to turn awkward moments and minor embarrassments into laughs (and viral moments) needs to be studied. The identity of the errant boom mic operator has not been disclosed.
