Social media descended into controversy after President Donald Trump was slapped in the face with a microphone while speaking to the press in front of Air Force 1. Trump was uninjured and even delivered a few jokes to the gathered reporters. As of the time of writing, it is unknown which outlet the mic operator worked for and if the blow was intentional.
Within hours, the clip had gone viral on social media. Many republicans voiced their security concerns. Several comments speculated on the danger of allowing reporters so close to President Trump, especially after at least two failed assassination attempts. Some posts speculated if this incident was an intentional move to disrespect Trump.
One account made a lengthy thread where they speculated on the possible reasoning behind the microphone strike. They wrote, “That reporter who hit Trump with a microphone: kick her entire organization off AF-1.Leftists are bad at bottling it up. They will lash out in stupid, passive aggressive ways if given the opportunity. Like: you think it’s a coincidence that Trump gets hit in the face the day when leftoids just suffered a humiliating ROUT on the budget issue?”
This post references the recent controversy surrounding Trump’s budget plan. Speculation ran wild that the government would shut down as legislators could not agree on Trump’s spending bill. However, at the last minute, the budget passed with seven Democrats crossing the aisle. Other social media influencers added their thoughts on the controversy.
Joey Mannarino, a pro-Trump social media figure, posted “That reporter who hit President Trump in the face with a microphone needs to be investigated. If she’s from a Leftist organization… jail.” Other accounts echoed his thoughts, and called for greater accountability for the press.
Charles R. Downs, a right-leaning reporter, posted a clip of the incident along with his commentary on March 14, 2025. He said that this failure was unacceptable. Downs’ post read, “Rule number one is to never make contact with the politician. Whoever hit President Trump in the face with their microphone seriously messed up at their job.”
Watch the clip here:
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One user speculated, “Trump gets hit in the face with a mic, that could have fentanyl or other poison on it. It could be a disguised spear. I hope they are checking these journalists thoroughly.” Another said, “Was the microphone poisoned? Hitting Trump with the mic was done on purpose. I hope secret service checks for mic being embedded with substances in the future and not allow such mics anymore close to him What an epic dumb mistake SS.”
One account said, “Looks like the person holding the microphone wiped it across Trumps mouth. This is 100% unacceptable. The jack*ss that did this needs to be arrested, send every bit of his equipment for testing and Trump needs to be tested immediately. This is BS. Where the hell is the secret service?????”
Another said, “They did it on purpose hoping Trump would get mad and they would get a viral clip of his reaction Trump handled it like a pro.” One reply read, “You can tell a lot about a person when things like this occur. It’s obvious trump’s nature is one of calm, measured, calculated and restrained despite what he might be characterized as. This reassures me that Melania and their son is a reflection of his nature!”
Featured image from embedded video