DETROIT (AP) 鈥� paced his rally stage in silence for nearly 20 minutes Friday night in Detroit after his microphone cut out.
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 鈥渢he most beautiful word in the dictionary.鈥� Very quickly afterward, the sound went down.
The crowd chanted 鈥淯SA鈥� and 鈥淲e love Trump鈥� 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 in a week that one of his events was interrupted 鈥� 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 鈥淭echnical Difficulties" and "Complicated Business.鈥�
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 鈥淔ox & Friends鈥� joked that Trump likes to adjust the lighting when he sits for interviews.
Aides are known to travel with multiple backup mics 鈥� though it was unclear why they weren't able to locate one immediately Friday 鈥� and to carefully prepare the flags that decorate his stages.
Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign used video of the moment to that Trump, 78, may not have the energy to be president again. It posted on X, 鈥淎n exhausted Trump awkwardly walks in circles on stage after his microphone stops working.鈥�
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.
鈥淚 won鈥檛 pay the bill for this stupid company," he said. 鈥淚 won't pay the bill, and then we鈥檒l have a story that Trump didn鈥檛 pay the bill to a contractor.鈥�
Michelle L. Price, The Associated Press
