You've probably seen them. Those two weird, thin panes of glass standing on poles like high-tech lollipops on either side of the president during a big speech. Most people assume they’re bulletproof shields. Honestly? They’re just fancy mirrors.
So, does the president use a teleprompter? Yeah, almost always. Whether it’s a State of the Union address or a campaign stop in a rainy parking lot, that glass is usually there. It’s the difference between a polished, historic moment and a "wait, what was I saying?" disaster. But how it works is actually way more interesting—and glitchier—than most folks realize.
The Glass "Magic" Trick
The setup you see on TV is officially called a "presidential teleprompter." It’s a bit of an optical illusion. Down on the floor, there’s a high-brightness monitor lying flat, facing the ceiling. It displays the speech text, but here’s the kicker: the words are mirrored and backward.
That text shoots upward and hits a piece of "beamsplitter" glass. This glass is a special one-way mirror. To the president, the words appear perfectly clear and readable. But to you sitting in the audience or watching on CNN, the glass looks completely transparent. You just see the president’s face. It creates this vibe that they’re just looking around the room, making eye contact with everyone, when they’re actually just reading "Section 4: Infrastructure" off a pane of glass.
Why use two screens?
Presidents don't just stare straight ahead. That would look robotic. By having one screen on the left and one on the right, the speaker can pivot their head. It makes it feel like they’re addressing the whole crowd. If you watch closely, you can see the "ping-pong" effect as their eyes flick from the left pane to the right one every few sentences.
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It Wasn't Always This High-Tech
Before the 1950s, presidents just... memorized things. Or they stood there with a thick stack of paper and looked down a lot. It wasn't exactly great for TV.
The whole teleprompter thing actually started in Hollywood. A CBS engineer named Hubert Schlafly helped build the first one in 1948 because actors in soap operas couldn't remember their lines. Back then, it was literally a motorized scroll of butcher paper with the lines typed out in half-inch tall letters.
Herbert Hoover was the first big name to try it at the 1952 Republican National Convention, and he kind of hated it. He wasn't the only one. Dwight D. Eisenhower famously got so frustrated with the slow scrolling speed during a speech that he growled, "Go ahead! Yah, damn it! I want him to move up!" right into a live microphone.
By the mid-60s, the "glass on a stick" version we know today became the gold standard. Lyndon B. Johnson was obsessed with them. He even had a "bulletproof" podium built that housed the whole system because he didn't want anyone to see the screens.
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The Person in the Shadows: The Operator
The machine doesn't just run on its own. There is a human being—a teleprompter operator—sitting somewhere nearby (usually off-stage or in a booth) who is sweating bullets.
They use a scroll wheel to match the president's speed. If the president decides to ad-lib a joke about his dog, the operator has to stop the text. If the president starts talking faster because the crowd is cheering, the operator has to speed up. It’s a high-stakes game of "follow the leader."
Expert Insight: Operators often use a font size between 64 pt and 84 pt. That's massive. It has to be readable from several feet away, even if the president is tired or the stage lights are blinding.
When the Tech Quits
Even in 2026, technology fails. It happens more than you’d think.
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- The Power Outage: In late 2025, Joe Biden was giving a speech when the power flickered. He literally lost his place and had to tell the crowd, "I lost electricity here, anyway," before trying to wing it.
- The UN Glitch: Donald Trump had a famous moment at the UN General Assembly where the prompter just froze. He joked that the operator was "in big trouble" and proceeded to speak off-the-cuff for the rest of the session.
- The Wrong Speech: Sometimes the wrong file gets loaded. Imagine being a world leader and seeing a speech about soy exports when you’re supposed to be talking about a peace treaty.
Do They Ever NOT Use One?
Press conferences are usually "prompter-free" zones once the Q&A starts. You can’t really script a reporter asking about a scandal. This is where you see the "real" person. Most presidents also have a physical paper copy of the speech on the podium as a backup. If the glass breaks or the computer crashes, they just look down and keep going.
Lately, we’re seeing a shift toward "confidence monitors"—big TV screens at the back of the room or embedded in the floor. They’re less obvious than the glass panes and let the president walk around the stage more freely. Some newer tech involves smart glasses that project the text directly onto the lens, though that hasn't quite hit the Oval Office for major addresses yet.
Summary of Presidential Speech Tools
- The "Presidential" Prompter: The two glass panes on sticks. Best for formal, stationary speeches.
- The Floor Monitor: Hidden screens at the foot of the stage. Great for "town hall" style talks.
- Confidence Monitors: Large screens at the back of the hall. Helps if the speaker wants to walk the stage.
- The "Binder": Good old-fashioned paper. The ultimate fail-safe.
What to Watch For Next Time
Next time you see a presidential address, don't just listen to the words. Watch the eyes.
- Look for the flicker: See if you can spot the moment their eyes jump from the left glass to the right glass.
- Check the reflection: If the camera angle is just right, you might see a ghostly glow of white text on the glass panels.
- The "Safety" Glance: Notice if they occasionally look down at the podium. That’s them checking the paper backup to make sure the operator hasn't skipped a paragraph.
Understanding how a president uses a teleprompter doesn't make the speech less important; it just shows you the massive amount of engineering that goes into a single "spontaneous" moment of leadership.
Next Step: Watch a clip of a recent press conference versus a formal address. Note the difference in hand gestures and eye contact—you'll start to see exactly where the "invisible" screens are hidden.