Politics & Government

SEE: Video Snafu Gives De Blasio Munchkin Voice In Iowa Speech

A technical glitch made the mayor sound like he'd inhaled helium before addressing a labor conference on a video stream.

Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks at the Des Moines Register Soapbox during a visit to the Iowa State Fair on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019
Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks at the Des Moines Register Soapbox during a visit to the Iowa State Fair on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019 (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

NEW YORK — Hizzoner just joined the Lollipop Guild. A technical snafu made Mayor Bill de Blasio sound like a munchkin when he addressed an Iowa labor conference Wednesday afternoon.

The Democratic mayor had to address the Iowa Federation of Labor Convention in Altoona over a video feed after his flight to the Hawkeye State was canceled because of weather.

But a glitch in the stream pitched up his voice so that it sounded like he had inhaled helium before delivering his presidential campaign speech.

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"I wanna thank you for the fight you are waging every day," de Blasio said in his altered tone, which drew chuckles from the crowd gathered at the Prairie Meadows convention center.

The mayor's campaign said it was working with event organizers to fix the problem and would share a new video on social media.

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"It was obviously a technical glitch," campaign spokesperson Olivia Lapeyrolerie told Patch in an email. "I cannot believe you (are) writing a story on this."

De Blasio responded to the debacle in jest on Twitter, indicating he wouldn't mind going from tenor to soprano if it helped him tout his accomplishments.

"If a high-pitched voice is what it takes to spread a message about putting working people first, pass the mic and I’ll try my best chipmunk impression while talking about how we achieved universal pre-K, a $15 minimum wage and a #GreenNewDeal for New York City," the mayor tweeted, adding the emoji that looks like it's crying from laughter.

De Blasio was among more than a dozen presidential candidates reportedly expected to address the Iowa Federation of Labor's three-day convention. The group says it represents more than 50,000 people in 520 unions across Iowa, which is the first state to hold presidential caucuses.

The mayor is expected to travel later Wednesday to New Hampshire, where he will appear for a local TV interview Thursday before returning to the city.

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