Trump’s Montco town hall turns into strange playlist party after medical emergencies: ‘Let’s just listen to music’
“Those two people that went down were patriots and we love them,” Trump said, referring to the people who fainted. “So play ‘YMCA.’ There we go! Nice and loud.”
Former President Donald Trump’s first public campaign event in the Philadelphia suburbs took an odd turn Monday night after two consecutive medical emergencies in the crowd prompted Trump to suggest maybe everyone just listen to his playlist.
“Let’s not do any more questions,” Trump said. “Let’s just listen to music … Who the hell wants to hear questions?”
Trump was about forty minutes into a town hall moderated by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and featuring friendly questions from the audience when a man collapsed in the risers in the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks.
The event paused as the man received medical attention and was taken out in a stretcher. Moments later, a woman on a set of risers on the opposite side of the large expo hall needed attention. She eventually walked out with help after supporters waved red “47″ Trump signs to fan her.
But the back-to-back incidents prompted Trump to suggest the town hall — only about four questions in — end there and he proceeded to play DJ. Trump requested Luciano Pavarotti’s rendition of “Ave Maria” and other songs that have become staples of his rally playlist.
“Those two people that went down were patriots and we love them,” Trump said, referring to the people who fainted. “So play ‘YMCA.’ There we go! Nice and loud.”
After both emergencies, Trump asked if the air conditioning could be turned up higher. ”They probably can’t afford it sir, in this economy,” Noem quipped.
”Would anybody else like to faint?” Trump asked to laughs.
In all, Trump stood on stage as music played, with brief interjections, for about 30 minutes.
Trump picked each song, playing “Ave Maria” twice, “Time to Say Goodbye” by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” by James Brown and “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinead O’Connor.
Several thousand people packed the expo center and stood close together in the warm space throughout the event in Montgomery County, a county President Joe Biden won by 26 points in 2020.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign shared reports of the Oaks event, saying Trump acted lost and confused standing on stage during the music. Harris has recently slammed the 78-year-old former president for refusing to release comprehensive medical records.
Trump campaign political advisor Steven Cheung also shared footage of the evening on X, celebrating it as “something very special” happening in Pennsylvania.
Staff writer Fallon Roth contributed to this article.