Trump Faults Teleprompter for ‘Airport’ Gaffe During Independence Day Speech

President Donald Trump speaks alongside acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper (L) and the Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford during the "Salute to America" Fourth of July event at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, on July 4, 2019. Brendan Smialowski/AFP

President Donald Trump says a malfunctioning teleprompter was to blame for a slip up during his “Salute to America” speech, where he mistakenly said the army took over airports during the American revolution.

“The teleprompter went out, it kept going out,” Trump told reporters outside the White House on July 5. “Then at the end, it just went out. It went kaput.”