Gingrich complains he 'can't afford teleprompters' after bouncing $500 check

Struggling Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on Wednesday joked that he couldn't even buy a teleprompter after his campaign recently bounced a $500 check.

Utah Elections Director Mark Thomas told The Salt Lake Tribune that Gingrich gave the state a $500 check in March to cover election filing fees, but the check bounced and the campaign refused to return their calls.

At a campaign event with seniors in Newark, Delaware on Wednesday, a supporter mocked President Barack Obama by asking how the former House Speaker gave "such an eloquent speech" without the use of teleprompters.

"As the reporters who travel with me can tell you, I have a very frugal campaign," Gingrich explained. "And we can't afford teleprompters."

"That's why I've had to learn to actually give speeches on my own."

During the event, Gingrich had also been frustrated by technical problems, eventually giving up his microphone because of a strange static-like noise coming over the public address system.

"Maybe I'll just yell," he shrugged as the audience laughed. "Our current estimate is that's a ham radio. I'm simply reporting what I was told."

On Sunday, Gingrich admitted to Fox News that he was borrowing a small amount of personal funds to run his "shoestring" campaign, which he said owed "slightly less" $4.5 million.

Last month, the cashed-starved campaign began charging supporters $50 to have a photograph taken with the Republican presidential candidate.

Funds have also begun drying up at the pro-Gingrich Winning Our Future super PAC.

Watch to the video below from CNN, broadcast on April 11, 2012.