Trump Calls His Debate Mic 'Defective'

In January, a "son of a b----" installed Donald Trump's "stupid mic" at a Pensacola, Fla., rally; a month later, he blamed a "lousy earpiece" on his much maligned reaction to a question on David Duke during a CNN interview, recalls NBC News. Audio problems have apparently followed the candidate once more: In the post-debate spin room, Trump told reporters (video here) that he thought moderator Lester Holt "was fine ... and they also ... gave me a defective mic. Did you notice that? My mic was defective within the room. I wonder ... Was that on purpose?" A reporter then shouts out, "Did that explain the sniffles?"

No comment from the candidate, but Reuters calls Trump's apparent sniffles during the debate a "social media sensation." Howard Dean's tweet was one of the more attention-grabbing on the topic, with the former governor posting, "Notice Trump sniffing all the time. Coke user?" An aide shed no light on the cause, saying only that Trump was not suffering from a cold. (More presidential debate stories.)