‘Oh f***, I got a pen mark’: Trump is caught on hot mic panicking about an ink stain moments before his Oval Office coronavirus address – then breathes a huge sigh of relief after he signs off
- A live microphone captured President Donald Trump’s unscripted comments moments before he addressed the nation on Wednesday night
- ‘Oh f***…uh oh, I got a pen mark. Anybody, anybody have any white stuff?’ he was heard saying before the cameras started rolling
- Trump was seen making additional candid remarks after the speech concluded
- A C-SPAN livestream showed him waiting for confirmation that cameras were off
- Trump then let out and exaggerated ‘Okayyyy!’ and exhaled dramatically
- The president struck a much more serious tone during the address itself
- He announced an immediate shut-down of all travel from Europe to the US but stopped short of school closures or restricting public gatherings
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President Donald Trump was caught on a hot mic panicking over an ink stain on his outfit moments before his Oval Office address on the coronavirus pandemic Wednesday night.
‘Oh f***…uh oh, I got a pen mark. Anybody, anybody have any white stuff?’ Trump was heard saying before the cameras started rolling.
The president made another unscripted comment after the address while apparently unaware that a C-SPAN camera was still streaming.
Trump concluded his remarks and waited patiently until a voice off-camera said: ‘We’re clear.’
He let out an exaggerated exhale and said: ‘Okayyy!’ as a man stepped into the frame and removed the microphone from inside his blazer.
President Donald Trump was caught on a live microphone panicking over an ink stain on his shirt moments before his Oval Office address on the coronavirus pandemic Wednesday night
The president made another unscripted comment after the address while apparently unaware that a C-SPAN camera was still streaming
Trump was seen letting out an exaggerated exhale as he said: ‘Okayyy!’
Aides then stepped in to remove the microphone from Trump’s blazer
Trump struck a much more serious tone during the actual speech as he announced an immediate shut-down of all travel from Europe to the United States to try to stop the spread of coronavirus.
‘We will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days,’ Trump stated, conceding that world health officials had now declared the health crisis a pandemic after insisting for days that it would ‘go away’ and urging Americans not to panic.
The ban will apply to travelers who have visited 26 countries in the EU’s Schengen border-free area in the last 14 days, but not travelers from the UK or Ireland, or to US citizens, American permanent residents and their immediate family members.
Trump struck a more serious tone during the actual speech as he announced an immediate shut-down of all travel from Europe to the US to try to stop the spread of coronavirus
As of Thursday morning there are 1,342 confirmed coronavirus cases in the US and 38 deaths
Nearly 126,000 cases have been reported worldwide, including 4,610 deaths
Trump said the ban would come into effect at ‘midnight’ on Friday though confusion reigned over exactly how it would be implemented – including how the cut-off would apply across time zones, which routes Americans would be allowed to use to get home, and whether travelers returning from Europe would face screening or quarantine.
The move caused immediate confusion for Americans within Europe who immediately began scrambling to airports in an effort to get home.
Trump’s address also made no mention of measures being adopted by other countries to stop the spread of the virus within their borders – like closing schools, banning public gatherings and restricting travel between cities.
While he did announce co-payment wavers for coronavirus treatment, he made only a brief mention of test kits and did not say whether the waver would apply to testing.
The president did not announce any ban on public gatherings, or declare any travel restrictions within the US, although he did urge older Americans to avoid crowded places if possible.
He also caused confusion after appearing to announce that trade from Europe was also banned, only to clarify later on Twitter that ‘the restriction stops people not goods’.
Trump urged elderly Americans to take great caution, urged cutting off visitors to nursing homes, and told Americans to wash their hands diligently.
‘The virus will not have a chance against us – no nation is more prepared or more resilient than the United States,’ he said.
He explained the new measure as a matter of protecting the nation from the rapidly spreading virus – which he called ‘foreign.’
‘This is the most aggressive and comprehensive effort to confront a foreign virus in modern history,’ he said. ‘I will always put the well-being of America first.
‘We are mobilizing the full power of the federal government and private sector to protect the American people,’ he said.
Trump’s address came as:
- The NBA announced it had called off the rest of its season after Utah Jazz player Rudy Gorber tested positive for the virus just before tip-off
- The State Department told Americans to immediately reconsider any plans to travel abroad because of the danger of the virus
- Tom Hanks and his actress wife Rita Wilson revealed they had it too
- Wall Street braced for more selling Thursday as the futures pointed to a loss of as much as 1,000 points on the Dow
- Joe Biden prepared to deliver his own coronavirus crisis plan to go head-to-head with his presidential election rival
- An aide to Democratic Washington senator Maria Cantwell became the first person on Capitol Hill to be confirmed as having the virus, while six other lawmakers remain quarantined over possible exposure
- And Trump followed his own advice and canceled a campaign swing to Colorado and Nevada after being slammed for refusing to stop shaking hands and holding rallies
The number of coronavirus cases in the US has risen at an alarming rate over the past week