Trump town hall takes a turn for the surreal

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A town hall for former President Donald Trump took a turn after two of its attendees required medical attention, prompting the campaign event to turn into a musical show. 

Moderated by Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD), the Pennsylvania event began with Trump taking questions from preselected attendees for the former president to offer partial answers on his ideas on housing affordability and small businesses. After about 30 minutes of questions, that portion of the event ended and pivoted to music, with Trump jokingly asking the crowd if “anybody else would like to faint.”

“Let’s not do any more questions. Let’s just listen to music. Let’s make it into music. Who the hell wants to hear questions, right?” Trump said after two rallygoers appeared to faint or collapse at the event.

In total, Trump played nine tracks, and he danced and shook hands with people onstage alongside Noem. 

“A doctor, please,” Trump said of the first medical incident. The crowd remained relatively silent as doctors treated the person. “Take your time, doctor.”

“This is a little bit of a rough one,” Trump continued. “Our first responders are amazing, the way they can do things so beautifully and so quickly. Thank you. We’ll get it taken care of fast. A lot of it is pretty easy to take care of.”

Trump pivoted to talking about the border before focusing on the medical problem again, saying, “That looks a little bit bad.” Attendees of the event then began to sing “God Bless America.” 

While the man was receiving medical help, Trump said, “While we’re waiting: So, we had a beautiful evening. And I don’t know if they could get this song up quickly, but if they could work really quickly backstage while we’re waiting. ‘Ave Maria.’” The song began to play after, and the crowd started to chant “USA.”

The town hall resumed after the first medical incident, but minutes later, a second rallygoer appeared to collapse. “Ave Maria” began to play again. 

Noem soon informed Trump and the audience that the woman who collapsed was “on her feet” and doing better, noting the warm temperature of the room and telling audience members to sit to prevent any more incidents. Trump joked that he enjoyed standing to “lose weight” and that air conditioning was too expensive.

Trump then asked the crowd, “Would anybody else like to faint? Please raise your hand.” 

“Let’s do it now,” Noem added.

Those comments then prompted the rest of the music show, and “Ave Maria” began to play for a third time. Trump also asked his staff to “put up” his “favorite chart,” the immigration chart he credits with saving his life during the assassination attempt at his Butler, Pennsylvania, rally in July.

He played many of his favorite songs that are frequently played at his rallies, including “It’s a Man’s World,” featuring Pavarotti and James Brown, and Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” At one point, an aide appeared by his side with a piece of paper, allowing Trump to act as the DJ by picking out a playlist.

During the musical portion, Trump performed some of his signature dance moves and sometimes pointed to audience members, but he mainly swayed onstage.

The teleprompter at the event asked Trump to “please do two more questions before music,” according to the Washington Post.

“The safety and well-being of President Trump’s supporters is always our top priority. The two individuals who fainted were immediately given medical attention. As President Trump said tonight, they are great patriots,” Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Washington Examiner in a statement on the turn of events.

“To lighten the mood, President Trump turned the town hall into an impromptu concert. The crowd absolutely loved it and didn’t want it to end. The room was full of joy. A truly special night!” the statement continued.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Vice President Kamala Harris was quick to comment on Trump’s event, saying, “Hope he’s okay,” about Trump.

On his way out of the event, Trump spoke to attendees to the tune of “Memory” from the musical Cats.

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