Donald Trump Defends Town Hall That Turned Into Unusual, 40-Minute Listening Session Of ‘Ave Maria’ And Other Songs From His Playlist
Donald Trump defended his decision to turn a town-hall event Monday night into an unusual, nearly 40-minute listening session of his favorite songs from his campaign’s music playlist.
The event was interrupted by two medical emergencies in the crowd, something that is not entirely uncommon at campaign events. But it forced Trump to stop the Q&A as people were tended to.
More from Deadline
Trump stood on stage with Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) as the recorded music played, starting with an orchestral version of “Ave Maria” and then moving to Luciano Pavarotti’s rendition.
“Let’s make this a music fest,” Trump said at one point to the crowd in Oaks, PA. “Who the hell wants to hear questions?”
Trump wrote on Truth Social this morning, “I had a Town Hall in Pennsylvania last night. It was amazing! The Q and A was almost finished when people began fainting from the excitement and heat. We started playing music while we waited, and just kept it going. So different, but it ended up being a GREAT EVENING!”
Other songs played included Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” The Village People’s “YMCA” and works from James Brown and Elvis. Standing on stage, Trump swayed back and forth at some moments, mimicking dance moves, but it left some journalists wondering just what was happening.
Kamala Harris’ campaign highlighted the unusual moment.
“Trump had a town hall in Pennsylvania tonight, consisting of pre-screened questions moderated by Kristi Noem,” wrote spokesman Ian Sams. “He abruptly cut off the event, then spent 30 minutes simply standing on stage looking at his audience with music playing. “Ave Maria” played 4-5x. No explanation of why.”
Best of Deadline
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
