German reporter curses during Trump’s swearing-in speech

The TV channel apologized for the gaffe, saying that it does not reflect the opinion of the broadcaster

A German news channel had to briefly interrupt its broadcast of US President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday after a freelance interpreter was caught on a hot mic criticizing the American leader’s speech.

The video footage spreading on social media shows Trump delivering his inauguration speech, accompanied with a voice-over in German. The Phoenix channel broadcast abruptly stops after the translator called the speech “Scheiss.”

“Tell me, how long did you want to stay with this s**t?” the interpreter asked his colleagues, going off-script and seemingly unaware his microphone was still on.

The TV channel, which is jointly operated by public service broadcasters ARD and ZDF, issued a statement to dpa news agency on Tuesday regarding the faux pas, newspaper Die Welt reported.

“Due to a technical glitch, the communication between the interpreter and the director was audible today. Of course it does not reflect the opinion of the broadcaster,” the statement said, adding that the organization works with experienced freelance interpreters at major international events, as was the case here.

It noted that the interpreters “have to work for hours at a very high level of concentration and translate simultaneously.”

„Sag mal, wie lange wollt ihr bei dem Scheiß bleiben“ – ruft der Simultanübersetzer in die Regie, ohne das Mikro auszumachen. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/Z0MMXIV5gs

— Daniel Eck 🇺🇦 (@eckilepsie) January 20, 2025

“This usually happens without any errors, despite the great pressure,” it said.

Trump’s swearing-in speech spanned nearly 30 minutes, during which the 47th US president said he is inheriting a nation in “decline” with failing education and public health systems.

During the address, he pledged to sign a series of executive orders on a wide range of policies from immigration to energy policy and gender politics, which he did immediately upon taking office.