
President Donald Trump glared at a reporter who accidentally smacked him in the mouth with a large boom microphone on Friday evening.
The incident happened as Trump took questions from reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
The boom microphone with a fuzzy cover hit Trump in the mouth and slid across his face. Trump leaned back to avoid further contact with the equipment.
Trump seemed stunned before he raised both eyebrows and glared at the unidentified reporter. One media outlet referred to it as a “death stare.”
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” the female reporter said, as another reporter hurriedly asked the president a question about Gaza.
“She just made television tonight,” Trump told a Secret Service agent who was off camera. “She just became a big story tonight. Right? Did you see that?”
“Yes, sir,” the agent responded.
WATCH: Reporter accidentally pushes microphone into Trump's face pic.twitter.com/NhswllZ0QW
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) March 14, 2025
The video quickly went viral around the world. The reporter and media outlet she works for were not identified.
Social media users questioned if the reporter’s actions were intentional. They said the reporter should be removed from the press pool and charged with assault.
Others called for the mic to be tested for toxic substances.
Trump’s supporters wondered if the mic was coated with deadly ricin or a nerve agent.
A nerve agent – such as the one that killed the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jung-Un in 2017 – is deadly if it comes in contact with the mouth, nose or eyes.
Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, confusion, seizures, and paralysis followed quickly by death. Symptoms begin within minutes or hours after exposure.
Ricin is also deadly if exposed to the mouth, nose or eyes. Ricin kills by preventing the body from making protein. Symptoms take anywhere from hours to days.
Symptoms include swelling of the eyes and lips; lung irritation; sore throat; skin blisters; itchy, watery eyes and difficulty breathing.
Advanced symptoms include respiratory failure; organ failure; and death.