DETROIT (AP) — Donald Trump walked his rally stage in silence for nearly 20 minutes Friday night in Detroit after his microphone was cut off.
The Republican nominee and former president was about to bring up one of his favorite topics, tariffs, and worked to name it by first teasing “the most beautiful word in the dictionary.” Very quickly afterwards the sound went down.
The crowd chanted “USA” and “We love Trump” in support. But without a microphone, Trump simply wandered around the stage. He looked frustrated and sometimes turned to most of his audience.
It was the second time in a week that one of his events was canceled — although last time, on Monday, Trump shut down a town hall and instead played music after several people in the audience needed medical attention. This time, Trump appeared to have little control over the matter and stood silently as the screens in the room flashed the messages “Technical Difficulties” and “Complicated Business.”
Trump is notoriously concerned with 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 several spare microphones – although it was unclear why they couldn’t find one immediately on Friday – and to meticulously prepare the flags that adorn his stages.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign used video for the moment to press its message that Trump, 78, may not be able to become president again. It read on X: “An exhausted Trump walks awkwardly in circles on stage after his microphone stops working.”
As the delay stretched out, the crowd continued to cheer and sing. At one point the audience dared.
Finally, after nearly 20 minutes, an aide gave Trump a replacement microphone that worked.
“I will not pay the bill for this stupid company,” he said. “I’m not going to pay the bill, and then we get a story about Trump not paying the bill to a contractor.”