'They gave me a defective mic': Trump lashes out over supposed mic issue

Donald Trump claimed on Monday that he was given a faulty microphone during the first presidential debate.

"They also gave me a defective mic," the Republican presidential candidate told reporters in the spin room after the debate at Hofstra University in New York. "Did you notice that? My mic was defective within the room."

He continued: "Was that on purpose? But I had a mic that wasn't working properly. But overall, I thought it was a great - and if you look at your polls, they're through the roof."

It was not immediately clear what issue the real-estate magnate was referring to, but some observers online noted that Trump appeared to be sniffling during the debate.

There was no immediate public evidence that Trump's microphone was tampered with.

Over the course of the campaign, Trump has repeatedly complained about the audio at his debates, occasionally threatening to withhold payment from his rally venues when equipment malfunctions.