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The Republican nominee and former president was about to wax on
about one of his favorite subjects, tariffs, working up to
naming it by first teasing “the most beautiful word in the
dictionary.” Very quickly afterward, the sound went down.
The crowd chanted “USA” and “We love Trump” in support. But with
no microphone, Trump simply wandered around the stage. Looking
frustrated, his back was turned to most of his audience at
times.
It was the second time in a week that one of his events was
interrupted — though the last time, on Monday, Trump cut off a
town hall and instead played music after multiple people in the
audience needed medical attention. This time, Trump appeared to
have little control over the matter, standing silently while the
screens in the room displayed the messages “Technical
Difficulties" and "Complicated Business.”
Trump is famously attuned to his image and the mechanics of his
rallies, often commenting on the microphones and teleprompters.
Earlier Friday, the hosts of “Fox & Friends” joked that Trump
likes to adjust the lighting when he sits for interviews.
Aides are known to travel with multiple backup mics — though it
was unclear why they weren't able to locate one immediately
Friday — and to carefully prepare the flags that decorate his
stages.
Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign used video of the moment
to push its message that Trump, 78, may not have the energy to
be president again. It posted on X, “An exhausted Trump
awkwardly walks in circles on stage after his microphone stops
working.”
As the delay stretched on, the crowd continued to cheer and
chant. At one point, the crowd did the wave.
Finally, after nearly 20 minutes, an aide brought Trump a
replacement microphone that worked.
“I won’t pay the bill for this stupid company," he said. “I
won't pay the bill, and then we’ll have a story that Trump
didn’t pay the bill to a contractor.”
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