Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is seen through the teleprompter as he speaks at the Trump National Golf Club Westchester, Tuesday, June 7, 2016, in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. AP
BRIARCLIFF MANOR, New York 鈥� Donald Trump routinely mocks his rivals for using teleprompters, but the presumptive Republican presidential nominee relied on the much-maligned political crutch Tuesday night for his closely watched speech at the end of the Republican primary calendar.
A pair of teleprompters flanked the podium at the Trump National Golf Club in suburban New York City, and the celebrity businessman appeared to be reading from them as he delivered a speech that featured far less of his trademark bluster.
It wasn鈥檛 the first time Trump has read from the devices 鈥� he used them, for instance, when speaking to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in March 鈥� but his reliance on them Tuesday prompted the word 鈥渢eleprompter鈥� to trend on Twitter and flew in the face of his usual criticism of them.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 use teleprompters,鈥� he said in January, criticizing Hillary Clinton for using one. 鈥淲ouldn鈥檛 that be easy, teleprompters? I watched Hillary the other day and she has the biggest teleprompters I鈥檝e ever seen. In fact, if you鈥檙e sitting on that side of the room or that side of the room you can鈥檛 see her because when they are outside, they are painted black and you can鈥檛 even see her.鈥�
Months earlier, he even proclaimed that 鈥渋f you run for president, you shouldn鈥檛 be allowed to use teleprompters. Because you don鈥檛 even know if the guy鈥檚 smart.鈥�
Trump doesn鈥檛 use the devices at this hallmark rallies but sometimes delivers an amusing impersonation of their use, pretending to move his head back and forth to read from devices on either side of the stage.
RELATED STORIES
It鈥檚 Clinton vs Trump in November vote
Physicist Stephen Hawking baffled by Donald Trump鈥檚 rise