Float enough conspiracy theories, and eventually one of them might turn out to be half-true. On Friday, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that there really were “issues” with Donald Trump’s microphone at Monday’s first debate.
“Regarding the first debate, there were issues regarding Donald Trump’s audio that affected the sound level in the debate hall,” the commission wrote in a single-sentence statement on its website, without offering any further details.
Fewer than 2,000 people were present in the auditorium at New York’s Hofstra University to see the debate live. Some reported afterwards that the audio volume had appeared to fluctuate when Mr Trump spoke.
However, the sound “issues” at the venue did not prevent TV viewers hearing Mr Trump speak – or, indeed, sniffle.
In the 'Spin Room' following his confrontation with Hillary Clinton, the Republican nominee complained that he had been given a “defective mic,” adding: “[I] wonder, was that on purpose?” (There was no evidence whatsoever to suggest that it was on purpose.)
The following day, Ms Clinton suggested to reporters that “anyone who complains about the microphone is not having a good night.” It wouldn’t be the first time Mr Trump has blamed audio equipment for a campaign misstep.
And remember: just because Mr Trump's mic does indeed appear to have been defective, doesn’t mean that Alicia Machado made a sex tape, that Google is suppressing bad news about Ms Clinton, or that climate change is a Chinese hoax.
