Trump downplays teleprompter use

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Tuesday downplayed his use of a teleprompter during a major foreign policy speech.

“It’s a lot easier doing it the way I usually do it, as I have a good memory,” he told host Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria.”

{mosads}Trump surprised listeners Monday evening by shunning his typical, off-the-cuff approach for a scripted speech before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) annual policy conference.

Trump said Tuesday that he did it to reassure his audience that his policies are overwhelmingly pro-Israel.

“I don’t think they needed too much reassurance, as I’ve been very strong with Israel, [but] I got tremendous responses,” he said.

Trump has frequently ridiculed political opponents who use teleprompters, even arguing last August that the devices should be off-limits for presidential candidates.

The business mogul also criticized Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton on Monday for often scripting her public remarks.

“I mean, here’s a woman, it’s [all talk],” he said on CNN’s “Situation Room.” “She’s just reading it off a teleprompter. Believe me, they write that for her.”

Trump’s speech Monday night was notably slower than his usual, featuring long pauses where he visibly scanned teleprompters.

The real estate tycoon struck a strong pro-Israel tone, insisting he would move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and accusing Palestinians of waffling on peace efforts during his speech.