Trump complained about his mic being "defective" following the debate. | Getty Trump: I won debate 'despite really bad microphone'

Donald Trump insisted Saturday that he won the first presidential debate before again blaming his microphone for his widely panned performance.

Trump tweeted: "I won the debate if you decide without watching the totally one-sided "spin" that followed. "This despite the really bad microphone."


Following the debate, Trump complained about his mic being "defective" and suggested that it could be on purpose, adding to his campaign-trail narrative that the election could be "rigged." On Friday, the Commission of Presidential Debates said Trump's microphone had audio issues during the debate.

I won the debate if you decide without watching the totally one-sided "spin" that followed. This despite the really bad microphone. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2016

The so-called Commission on Presidential Debates admitted to us that the DJT audio & sound level was very bad. So why didn't they fix it? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2016

(According to a source with knowledge of conversations with the debate commissioners, part of the issue rested with Trump touching his microphone, something candidates had been told not to do because the microphones were "calibrated exactly" to the candidate's voice.)

Trump has also aimed a new attack at Hillary Clinton, bringing up the past sexual indiscretions of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, in a bid to unsettle the Democratic nominee ahead of the next two debates, according to an interview with The New York Times. In the interview, Trump also said he "spent 50 percent of my thought process” during the debate dealing with the mic.