Moments before announcing a ban on all travel from Europe as the number of coronavirus cases in the US balloons to nearly 1,300, Donald Trump appears to have been caught on a hot mic saying "oh f***" and asking for "white stuff" to repair a "pen mark."

Before his Oval Office address to the US on Wednesday, the president can be heard saying: "Oh, f*** — Uh oh, I got a pen mark. Anybody have the white stuff ... Do you see it? Which side is it on?"

The president's voice was heard on newscasts across the US as television stations prepared to receive the White House feed.



During his address, the president announced an unprecedented ban on "most foreign nationals" into the US from Europe beginning on 20 March and lasting a month, as health officials warn that the risk of community spread within the US poses a significant threat.