With just three weeks left in the election cycle, questions surrounding Donald Trump’s mental stability and cognitive abilities continue to grow louder, spurred on by Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. During a recent rally, Harris described the former president as “unstable,” echoing a New York Times report that highlighted concerns over Trump appearing “confused, forgetful, incoherent, and disconnected from reality.”
On Monday, Trump held a town hall event in Oaks, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia, where he seemed to only deepen those concerns. What was expected to be a traditional Q&A event quickly devolved into an unusual scene when Trump spent over 30 minutes swaying and bobbing to music after the program was paused due to medical emergencies in the audience.
Instead of engaging with the crowd or answering questions, Trump turned the event into an impromptu “listening party,” nodding along to an eclectic mix of tunes that played over the loudspeaker. The bizarre scene unfolded after a few medical incidents left the former president standing awkwardly on stage, unsure of how to proceed.
At one point, instead of resuming the town hall format, Trump declared, “Let’s not do any more questions. Let’s just listen to music. Let’s make it into our music. Who the hell wants to hear questions? Right?” This was particularly odd considering the purpose of the event was to address voters’ concerns.
they're now playing an opera version of "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" while Trump continues to bob around on stage. words fail. pic.twitter.com/KbpNlVVslp
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 15, 2024
While Trump did field a few questions earlier in the night, his responses raised just as many eyebrows as his dance. For instance, when asked about rising grocery prices, Trump made an outlandish reference to Hannibal Lecter, the fictional cannibalistic character, and mentioned immigrants taking jobs from Black Americans—leaving many wondering what connection, if any, those references had to the topic at hand.
He also mistakenly urged his supporters to vote on “January 5th” instead of the actual Election Day, further adding to the concerns about his cognitive fitness.
The evening’s playlist has drawn further controversy, particularly from one of the artists whose song was featured. According to video footage from the event, Trump played Rufus Wainwright’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s iconic song “Hallelujah,” along with other tracks like Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond,” Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain,” James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” Elvis’ “An American Trilogy,” the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.,” and Andrea Bocelli’s “Time to Say Goodbye.”
Following the event, Rufus Wainwright, who is a Harris supporter, issued a scathing statement condemning Trump for using his rendition of Cohen’s 1984 hymn. Wainwright wrote, “The song ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen has become an anthem dedicated to peace, love, and acceptance of the truth. I’ve been supremely honored over the years to be connected with this ode to tolerance. Witnessing Trump and his supporters commune with this music last night was the height of blasphemy. Of course, I in no way condone this and was mortified, but the good in me hopes that perhaps in inhabiting and really listening to the lyrics of Cohen’s masterpiece, Donald Trump just might experience a hint of remorse over what he’s caused. I’m not holding my breath.”
Wainwright’s statement also noted that the Cohen estate had sent a cease-and-desist order to the Trump campaign, further escalating the backlash over the former president’s erratic behavior and choice of music.
The Washington Post aptly summarized the scene with the headline, “Trump sways and bops to music for 39 minutes in bizarre town hall episode,” pointing out that while Trump had the opportunity to address his policy vision, he instead spent an inordinate amount of time swaying to one can only assume are some of his favorite songs? Or maybe the songs here are not relevant at all and even Trump himself has run out of material to talk about—is this the death of outrageously good creative writing? As the event dragged on, attendees began to leave before the former president finally exited the stage.
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Even some Democratic officials weighed in on the odd turn of events. Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii remarked, “That thing Trump did last night is not explainable and it is not small. It shows that he’s increasingly detached from reality. Everyone knows if Biden or Harris did that it would be media mayhem. He’s not ok, and you can’t ignore it anymore.”
Following this bizarre town hall episode yesterday, Donald Trump has backed out of a planned interview with CNBC, marking the second time this month that the former president has cancelled a mainstream press appearance.
Joe Kernen, co-anchor of CNBC’s Squawk Box, broke the news during Tuesday morning’s broadcast. “Well, Trump canceled, and he was going to come on,” Kernen said, revealing that the interview had not been publicly announced beforehand.
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This latest cancellation comes less than two weeks after Trump backed out of an interview with CBS News’ 60 Minutes, where he was set to sit down with Scott Pelley. Instead, Trump has opted to engage primarily with conservative-leaning outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, The Ramsey Show, and Real America’s Voice. He is expected to participate in town halls with Fox News and Univision later this week.
READ MORE: Fox News Cuts Off the Former President After He Veers Off Topic and Goes On a Bizarre Rant About Furniture Quality
As Trump continues to face scrutiny over his mental acuity, his erratic behavior at the town hall likely did little to quell the growing concerns.