Trump reportedly canceled all TV appearances Tuesday because he didn't like the way he looked

Donald Trump canceled a slew of TV appearances on Tuesday morning, reportedly because he was concerned about the way he looked. Trump instead insisted on doing phone interviews — a somewhat controversial alternative that he popularized last year, CNN reports.

Trump apparently told NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox News, and MSNBC that his scheduled appearances were going to be no-gos due to "technical issues." Earlier, during a 6 a.m. interview for a CBS affiliate in Michigan that was beamed via satellite from Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, there were no visible issues. However, at the time Trump had complained of "a little double sound coming out of here, so it's a little hard to talk."

Three anonymous network sources told CNN that they believed the so-called "technical issues" were an excuse. Trump also happened to be unaware his microphone was on when he reportedly said at one point, "I don't like the way I look. Just tell them there's technical issues."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

CBS This Morning declined to settle for a Trump phone-in. Some in the business argue that networks should insist on on-camera interviews because it allows audiences to see how a candidate handles a question and rules out the possibility of someone helping the candidate with their answers.

MSNBC Morning Joe co-hosts offered another interpretation. "Donald Trump has proved himself to be the most accessible candidate, like it or not," Mika Brzezinski said. "But don't blame us if the other candidates are not as accessible."