Trump ridiculed for 'weird' complaint about being unable to eavesdrop on phone calls

President Donald Trump sought to undermine an impeachment witness by complaining that he'd been unable to eavesdrop on telephone conversations despite repeated attempts to do so -- and other social media users cringed.

Career diplomat David Holmes was called to testify Thursday in the House impeachment inquiry to describe the phone call he overheard between Trump and EU ambassador Gordon Sondland, in which the two officials allegedly discussed an extortion scheme against Ukraine.

Bill Taylor, the acting Ukraine ambassador, revealed the call last week in his testimony, and Holmes testified during a deposition that Sondland held the phone away from his ear as Trump loudly discussed the investigation of Joe Biden he wanted Ukraine's president to announce.

Trump, as Holmes read his opening statement, questioned how that was possible, boasting that his own hearing was great but simultaneously complaining about his past attempts to overhear phone calls had not been successful.

Other Twitter users found his defense to be baffling and weird.