(The Hill) – Former President Trump cut questions short at a town hall event with supporters in battleground Pennsylvania Monday night, after two lengthy interruptions because of medical episodes.
Instead, the former president opted to play several of his favorite songs for the crowd.
Trump held the event alongside South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) in Oaks, Pa. — once floated as a potential vice presidential pick — where he repeatedly made clear the commonwealth was the key to his electoral victory in November. The GOP presidential nominee took questions from five supporters on topics that focused mainly on immigration and bringing down costs.
But two separate answers were halted after attendees required medical attention in the crowd. As they waited to continue, Trump asked his staff to play Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” one of his favorite songs, over the speakers.
After the second interruption went on for several minutes, the former president said he had asked security to open the doors to the venue to alleviate some of the heat inside.
“Would anybody else like to faint? Please raise your hand,” Trump quipped after the second individual was helped to their feet.
Rather than continue with questions, he indicated that he wanted his staff to play more of his music. They obliged, playing “Time to Say Goodbye” by Andrea Bocelli and Luciano Pavarotti and “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” by James Brown.
“We could do another question or two if you’d like,” Trump said, eliciting cheers from the crowd, before changing his mind. “How about this? We’ll play ‘YMCA,’ and we’ll go home.”
“YMCA” blared over the speakers, and when many attendees remained inside, the music continued. Trump and Noem stood on stage, as songs like “Hallelujah,” “Nothing Compares 2 U,” and “Rich Men North of Richmond” played.
“Something very special is happening in Pennsylvania right now at the Trump townhall,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Chueng posted on X. “@realDonaldTrump is unlike any politician in history, and it’s great.”
Before the music began, Trump had urged his supporters to vote, indicating multiple times Pennsylvania could be the most critical battleground.
“Let me just give you the bottom line, though,” Trump said. “We win Pennsylvania, we win this great commonwealth, we are going to win the whole ballgame. It’s such an important place.”
Indeed, experts have singled out Pennsylvania as the likely decisive state in November’s election. Either Trump or Vice President Harris would have a difficult time getting to 270 electoral votes without the 19 electoral votes the Keystone State accounts for, though both campaigns have insisted they have multiple paths to victory.
While Trump was gathered with supporters in Oaks, Harris was rallying in Erie, Pa., which is located in a bellwether county that backed Trump in 2016 and then President Biden in 2020. She blasted the former president for suggesting in a recent interview that the military could quell protests from his critics.
The Hill/Decision Desk HQ’s average of polls shows Trump and Harris are separated by less than 1 percentage point in the state.
