C-SPAN mistakenly airs Trump's embarrassing moments before and after coronavirus address

Trump can be heard exhaling "Okayyy" after the address and asking for a wipe to clean a pen mark on his clothes.
 By  Cassie Murdoch  on 
C-SPAN mistakenly airs Trump's embarrassing moments before and after coronavirus address
U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the Oval Office about the novel coronavirus pandemic on March 11, 2020. Credit: DOUG MILLS / POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Viewers who were watching President Trump’s national address about coronavirus on C-SPAN Wednesday night got a sneak peak into what was happening behind the scenes. And that involved an F-bomb beforehand and a long sigh afterwards.

The network, apparently unaware that it was still broadcasting, captured Trump letting out a weirdly chill “Okayyyyy” after he completed his much-anticipated address on the pandemic currently sweeping across America and more than 100 other countries. 

People were quick to tweet out clips of that moment, as well as another where Trump was captured on a hot mic right before the address began. He can be heard saying what sounds like, “Ah fuck. Uh oh. I got a pen mark. Anybody have any wipe, any white stuff?”


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The unexpected clips bookended Trump's announcement that he was suspending travel from Europe into the U.S. for 30 days (excluding the UK).

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Brittany Levine Beckman

Brittany Levine Beckman was Mashable's managing editor. She enjoys crafting feature ideas, learning new things, and party parrots. Before working at Mashable, she covered community news at the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register. That's how she met a zonkey and the tallest man in the world.

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