Source: JIM WATSON / Getty
A town hall crowd was left stunned as Donald Trump stopped taking questions, opting to sway and dance to music instead.
On Monday night (October 14), former President Donald Trump was on stage at his town hall in the suburban Philadelphia town of Oaks, Pennsylvania when someone in the audience passed out due to the heat in the venue. As they were being attended to, Trump directed a staffer to play “Ave Maria” as he began to answer questions with South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. But that was halted as someone else passed out. At that point, Trump said: “Let’s not do any more questions. Let’s just listen to music. Let’s make it into a music ——. Who the hell wants to hear questions, right?”
Trump then began just to stand and sway to the music being played, with audience members approving at first with their phones out, recording him. According to USA Today, he cracked a couple of jokes about the lack of cool air in the building while assuring the crowd those who passed out were okay. “Would anybody else like to faint?”, he asked. A few minutes later, Trump said: Personally, I enjoy this – we lose weight, you know? … We can do this, lose four or five pounds, it’s okay with me.” Rufus Wainwright’s “Hallelujah,” Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares To You” and James Brown’s “It’s A Man’s World” played as some filed out. As his usual closing song, the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” began to play, Trump appeared confused that the crowd was still present. “There’s nobody leaving,” he said. “What’s going on?” Noem looked on awkwardly as a staffer came on stage with a sheet of paper. After a bit of conversation, Trump waved, pumped his fist and walked off stage to “Memory” from the Cats musical. The entire scene lasted 39 minutes.
The situation shocked many observers online who managed to watch the town hall. Some commented on how Trump appears to be in a distinct cognitive decline. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, actor Jon Cryer wrote: “After his Coachella rally ended in a fiasco, now his Pennsylvania town hall has gone off the rails. What is happening to the Trump campaign?” Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris shared a post capturing the moment on X, writing: “Hope he’s okay.”
