The 2020 hopeful sent a video message because he couldn't make it to a labour forum held by the AFL-CIO's Iowa Federation of Labor. However, when it played on TV, the audio sounded abnormally high-pitched, making the audience who watched the message laugh. Washington Post reporter Matt Viser even suggested on Twitter that the mayor "sounded like he’d gulped a canister of helium."
“So that was a little bit different,” the announcer says at the conclusion of Bill DeBlasio’s remarks, in which, due to some apparent audio difficulties, he sounded like he’d gulped a canister of helium. pic.twitter.com/WbZAcRCGfo
— Matt Viser (@mviser) August 21, 2019
De Blasio is appearing via a video feed that, hilariously and unfortunately, is distorting his voice by making it sound higher. pic.twitter.com/ae1zRYxXOZ
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) August 21, 2019
The Mayor’s voice is higher than his poll numbers https://t.co/7UIzaHKmck
— Barstool News Network (@BarstoolNewsN) August 21, 2019
De Blasio's voice in this video is higher than his polling numbers. https://t.co/PPT2pNsB3g
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) August 21, 2019
Whoever was operating the video equipment tried to fix the audio as viewers could see a mouse pointer moving across the screen and a box popping up over de Blasio's face, yet the reason for the malfunction remains unknown.
Campaign spokesman Olivia Lapeyrolerie blamed a "technical glitch" when reached by Fox News, writing in an email: "It was obviously a technical glitch. I cannot believe you a [sic] writing a story on this."
De Blasio also said on Twitter that he would make a "less entertaining" video available.
