Teleprompted Trump May Be Boring But You Should Have Seen Hoover

  • Presumptive GOP nominee has mocked the device while using it
  • ‘When it comes to rhetoric, winging it is often shoddy’

Trump Delivers Victory Speech Aided By Teleprompter

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Donald Trump’s fledgling relationship with the teleprompter has drawn mixed reviews, from stilted to dull to, of all things, scripted. The great irony of the effort to rein in his wild side by forcing him to stick to words scrolling on the device is that its debut in politics was aimed at fixing the exact opposite problem.

Herbert Hoover, a famous bore on stage who often stared down at his notes, was somehow persuaded to use the new technology during his address at the 1952 Republican National Convention. Legend has it that the former president might not have enjoyed the experience, muttering, when the text suddenly slowed down, “This damned thing, I could do better without it.”