HEMPSTEAD, NY — For the second time this year, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump complained about a faulty microphone, this time in his comments after the nationally televised debate on Sept. 26 at Hofstra University with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
“I had a problem with a microphone that didn’t work,” noted the Republican candidate. “I wonder was it set up that way on purpose. My microphone in the room, they couldn’t hear me, you know, it was going on and off… it was terrible.”
The complaint echoed Trump’s lament at a rally in Pensacola, FL in January, that drew a crowd of more than 11,000. Complaints about intelligibility there seemed to be backed up as many rally attendees left their seats in frustration, seeking out better sound quality. (The venue, Pensacola Bay Center, issued a release stating that their system wasn’t used, and another sound provider had been brought in for the rally.)
At the Sept. 26 debate, held at Hofstra University’s David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex, there were fewer complaints from the live audience, which numbered close to 1,000, and from TV viewers, with a record-setting audience of close to 84 million people.
“Each candidate was miked with three mics — two on each podium, and a wireless lavalier as a backup, which was never used,” noted FRONT of HOUSE editor George Petersen. “On numerous occasions during Trump’s presentation, I could clearly hear his supporters within the venue cheer in response, so the ‘no feed to the house’ theory doesn’t hold up,” he added.
“Listening to the broadcast at home, switching between a Fox and a CNN feed, I heard no dropouts at all,” Petersen continued. “There were a few times when I could discern a limiter kicking in to prevent distortion, but only on those occasions when Mr. Trump was yelling into the mic, and even there, the level was only reduced by a few decibels. He also complained about ‘crackling’ in the sound, although again, I could discern none of that during the telecast.”
“Obviously there is a lot of divisiveness among the electorate, but no matter where you stand on the political spectrum, one thing is evident,” Petersen concluded. “Perhaps the good Mr. Trump could use a few lessons about proper mic technique and stop blaming the gear.”
For a written transcript of the debate provided by The Washington Post, go to www.bit.ly/Hofstra-Mics.
