House Speaker Mike Johnson abruptly walked offstage on Day One of the Republican National Convention after a teleprompter malfunctioned.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my honor to introduce the attorney general,” Johnson said to the crowd in Milwaukee, before adding, “And there goes the teleprompter.”
The speaker exited the stage seconds later, and it remained empty as the camera cut away and Sixwire, a country-rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, stepped in to fill the void.
The teleprompter issue was resolved about 20 minutes later, and Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird took to the stage to welcome vice presidential nominee JD Vance.
On social media, some users compared Johnson’s teleprompter blunder to those made by President Joe Biden, which have sparked rumors that the 81-year-old may be experiencing cognitive decline.
“Oh. Mike Johnson can’t speak without a teleprompter? He must not be capable to hold office,” one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter, referencing claims made by Republicans that Biden is unfit for office following his use of teleprompters in numerous news conferences.
“Sounds like old Mike Johnson is dealing with cognitive decline,” another user wrote.
A commenter added: “I’m very alarmed by MAGA Mike Johnson’s inability to complete a basic introduction without the help of a teleprompter. He needs to immediately hold a one-hour press conference and do interviews with George Stephanopoulos and Lester Holt or step aside!”
Following a disastrous debate against Donald Trump in June, in which Biden muddled his words and appeared to lose his train of thought, the president gave a one-hour news conference and interviews with NBC‘s Lester Holt and ABC‘s George Stephanopoulos, as questions over his ability to perform the duties of his office rose.
Another X user described Johnson’s blunder as “pathetic.”
“Pathetic. Teleprompter goes out on Speaker Mike Johnson so suddenly he has nothing to say, and walks off. Any skilled professional would have a paper script handy, just in case. This is the lazy Republican clown show on full display,” the user wrote.
Elsewhere during the convention, Johnson announced that former President Donald Trump—who narrowly survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday—had “received a majority of the votes entitled to be cast at the convention,” and that he had been selected as the Republican Party’s nominee for president of the United States.
Trump also announced that Vance, a senator from Ohio, would be his running mate for November’s election.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.