The Mics Didn't Cooperate at Trump's Detroit Rally

Former president wanders around the stage for nearly 20 minutes, threatens to sue over audio snafu
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 19, 2024 9:30 AM CDT
Trump Wanders Stage for Nearly 20 Minutes After Mic Malfunction
Former President Trump arrives at a campaign rally on Friday in Detroit.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

"Technical difficulties. Complicated business." That's what a sign read Friday night at a campaign rally for Donald Trump in Detroit, where the former president ended up wandering around the event stage for nearly 20 minutes after an audio malfunction. USA Today reports that Trump was right in the middle of talking about the economy when the microphone he was speaking into stopped working, prompting him to reach for a handheld mic. That one didn't work, either, and so Trump took to pacing up and down the stage for 18 minutes, occasionally talking to staff and audience members as the issue was remedied.

The Guardian has a sped-up video of the stage-wandering. When the mic was finally fixed, Trump began issuing threats, reports the Independent. "I won't pay the bill for the stupid company that rented us this crap," he said, adding, per NBC News: "If it goes out again, I'll sue the a-- off that company." He complained later in the rally that he was having to "scream" into the mic to be heard.

The snafu came just a few days after a Trump town hall in Philly, which "turned into an impromptu concert" on Monday when medical emergencies interrupted his speech and he "bopped and shimmied" onstage for about 40 minutes to a variety of songs. The rapid response team for rival Kamala Harris' campaign didn't miss the chance to take advantage of Friday's incident. "An exhausted Trump awkwardly walks in circles on stage after his microphone stops working," they tweeted, showing a clip. (More Donald Trump 2024 stories.)

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