Trump claims he doesn't use teleprompters in Colorado - then undermines argument in Nevada hours later

In the latest instance of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump trying to convey bravado and competence, the ex-president has claimed his campaign “[doesn’t] use teleprompters, period”, only for such a device to be spotted right next to him at that same rally, and a sign to fall on his teleprompter at another.

The convicted felon held events in both Colorado and Nevada on Friday, just 25 days before Americans decide whether to put him back in the White House after a four-year break or elect their first female president, current vice president Kamala Harris.

Beginning in Aurora in Colorado, Trump took a swipe at his Democrat rival and claimed she “used a teleprompter” during a town hall the day before – despite moderator Enrique Acevedo stating the prompter actually displayed his introduction in Spanish, and then “switched to a timer”.

Trump told the crowd: “Did you see [Harris] did a town hall yesterday and she used a teleprompter? … You don’t use teleprompters.

“We don’t use teleprompters, period. You don’t use them for town halls.”

In the same speech, he went on to add: “Isn’t it fun? Isn’t it nice - ‘cause I haven’t looked at these stupid things in about fifteen minutes – isn’t it nice to have a president that doesn’t need a teleprompter?”

Except, social media users pointed out, he very much does need them:

And if this wasn’t humiliating enough, when Trump later addressed a crowd in Reno, Nevada, he went out of his way to move a sign which had fallen on… you guessed it… his teleprompter.

“Thank god I don’t use teleprompters too much. I look at the teleprompter, it’s totally gone.

“I say ‘what the hell happened?’ The sign fell on top of it,” he said.

Naturally, people were quick to question why he was so bothered about a sign blocking a teleprompter when he had previously made a big deal about not using one:

And Trump isn’t the only one to have undermined his position on teleprompters during the presidential election campaign period, as his running mate JD Vance claimed he didn’t need a teleprompter back in August, only to stumble over his words moments later.

Referring to a terror attack by an ISIS suicide bomber in Afghanistan in 2021, the Ohio senator referred to the area as ‘Abbey Road’ – the name of an album by The Beatles – instead of Abbey Gate.

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