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Donald Trump town hall in Oaks, Pennsylvania

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Donald Trump town hall in Oaks, Pennsylvania
DateOctober 14, 2024
VenueGreater Philadelphia Expo Center
LocationOaks, Pennsylvania, United States
TypeTown hall meeting
Organised byDonald Trump 2024 presidential campaign
ParticipantsThousands

Former U.S. president Donald Trump held a town hall meeting at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on October 14, 2024, as part of his presidential campaign.[1][2] After two attendees suffered medical emergencies, Trump ended the question-and-answer portion of the event in favor of a 39-minute listening session of his favorite songs from the campaign's playlist. During this segment, Trump danced and swayed, while recordings by Oliver Anthony, Andrea Bocelli, James Brown, Guns N' Roses, Sinéad O'Connor, Luciano Pavarotti, Elvis Presley, Village People, Rufus Wainwright were played.

The event received widespread attention and mixed reactions; critics of Trump noted the unusual nature of the listening session, with some questioning his mental acuity, and supporters called it patriotic. Wainwright criticized the campaign for using his cover of "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen and the publishing company of Cohen's estate issued a cease and desist letter to Trump's campaign. Rolling Stone's music journalist Rob Sheffield dubbed the event "the most disastrous dance party in American political history".

Event details and program

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The event was held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center (exterior pictured in 2018) in Oaks, Pennsylvania, in October 2024.

Donald Trump's presidential campaign organized a town hall meeting at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on October 14, 2024. Thousands of people attended.[3][4] After two attendees experienced medical emergencies (fainting from the heat), a planned question-and-answer became a listening session of Trump's favorite songs from his campaign's playlist. Governor Kristi Noem (R-SD) was with Trump on the stage during the event. According to France 24, "for more than half an hour, the Trump playlist blasted while the candidate mostly stood on stage listening and slowly dancing".[5]

When the first attendee fainted and was placed on a stretcher, the audience sang Irving Berlin's 1938 patriotic song "God Bless America". Trump then requested to have "Ave Maria" played.[6] An instrumental version of the song was played, followed by a recording of "Ave Maria" by Luciano Pavarotti. Subsequent songs included "Nothing Compares 2 U" (1990) by Sinéad O'Connor, "Y.M.C.A." (1978) by Village People, "Memory" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1981 musical Cats, "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" (1966) by James Brown, "An American Trilogy" (1972) by Elvis Presley, Rufus Wainwright's cover of "Hallelujah" (1984) by Leonard Cohen, "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli,[7] "Rich Men North of Richmond" (2023) by Oliver Anthony,[8] and "November Rain" (1992) by Guns N' Roses.[9][10][11] Some artists had previously asked for their music to not be used by the campaign.[12]

Reactions

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Various publications called the event "bizarre",[1][12][13] "deranged",[14] "odd",[15] "surreal",[10] and "unusual".[9] CBC News said critics of Trump called the music portion of the event "awkward" and "weird".[16] The event was joked about by Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel on their respective late nights shows,[17][18] and discussed by panelists on The View.[19] Political commentator Jonah Goldberg called the session "strange" and said Trump "went with an unorthodox way of getting around taking questions".[20] LGBTQ Nation and PinkNews noted the inclusion of two LGBTQ-related songs: "Hallelujah", as Wainwright is gay, and the gay anthem "Y.M.C.A."[21][22] Rolling Stone's music journalist Rob Sheffield called Trump the "worst DJ ever" who hosted "the most disastrous dance party in American political history".[23] Writers later included "Trump stops a town hall to play music videos" in the magazine's list of the twenty "craziest moments" of the presidential race.[24]

The event prompted some media outlets and politicians to discuss Trump's mental acuity.[13][25] Anthony Scaramucci, who served as Trump's White House Communications Director, said, "The October surprise is that Trump has completely lost his marbles."[6] Alyssa Farah Griffin, who was Trump's White House Director of Strategic Communications, also expressed concern.[21] Brian Schatz said "That thing Trump did last night is not explainable and it is not small."[16] Contrastingly, some supporters of Trump said the event was patriotic, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.[26] John McWhorter, an opinion writer for The New York Times, said: "I'm not even sure that turning a rally over to 40 minutes of swaying to music is a sign of disinhibition in the first place. It's not some primal human urge that the rules of polite society are barely able to constrain. It's just less boring than taking questions. This is extravagance — pushing the envelope, doing the unexpected. This is breaking the rules not because you're too fogged up to understand them but because your past transgressions, however much they appalled the keepers of order, no longer give you the cheap thrills they used to."[27]

Rufus Wainwright (left, pictured in 2010) said the use of "Hallelujah" was "blasphemy" and the publishing company of the estate of Leonard Cohen (right, pictured in 1988), who wrote the song, sent a cease and desist letter to Trump's campaign.

Wainwright criticized the campaign's use of "Hallelujah".[28][29][30] His statement said in part: "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." The statement also noted that the publishing company of Cohen's estate sent a cease and desist letter to Trump's campaign.[31][32] Wainwright discussed the event on MSNBC's The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle and he later received praise from Jamie Lee Curtis, who said: "Hearing Rufus articulate so beautifully the grace of the song, in a weird way, wishing that for a man who's clearly unhinged and saying, 'Maybe that's grace for him, and maybe it will help him and heal him a little.' I love that Rufus has found himself in the zeitgeist of this collision of culture and politics and humanity and compassion and division."[33] Barbra Streisand, who recorded "Memory" for her 1981 album Memories, said: "This is not normal. Particularly for someone running for President. He stood there and swayed for over 30 minutes. Something is very off with this man's brain."[34]

Political campaigns and organizations

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Campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said on social media, "Something very special is happening in Pennsylvania right now at the Trump townhall. @realDonaldTrump is unlike any politician in history, and it’s great."[35] He called the event a "total lovefest" and said, "Everyone was so excited they were fainting so @realDonaldTrump turned to music. Nobody wanted to leave and wanted to hear more songs from the famous DJT Spotify playlist!"[19] Trump called the event "amazing"[36] and later claimed that multiple people fainted from "excitement".[6]

The spokesperson for the Republican National Committee said Trump's campaign had the necessary licenses from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) for the songs played during the event. She also said, "It's a shame that some artists want to limit half of the country from enjoying their music."[37] According to The Atlantic, "The 40 minutes [Trump] spent onstage in Pennsylvania swaying silently to music prompted aides to exchange frenzied messages wondering whether the audio could be cut to get him off the stage. (Ultimately, they decided, letting him dance was less dangerous than letting him rant.)"[38]

The campaign of Trump's opponent Kamala Harris said on social media, "Trump appears lost, confused, and frozen on stage as multiple songs play for 30+ minutes and the crowd pours out of the venue early." Harris shared the post and said, "Hope he's okay."[39][40][41][42]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Watts, Marina (2024-10-15). "Donald Trump Sways to Music for 39 Minutes at Bizarre Pa. Town Hall: 'Who the Hell Wants to Hear Questions, Right?'". People. Dotdash Meredith. ISSN 0093-7673. OCLC 794712888. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  2. ^ Gomez Licon, Adriana; Cooper, Jonathan J. (2024-10-15). "Trump's town hall turns into impromptu concert after medical incidents". Associated Press. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  3. ^ "Thousands show up for former President Donald Trump rally in Oaks". The Reporter. 21st Century Media. 2024-10-15. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  4. ^ "Trump town hall in Montgomery County draws crowd". Delaware County Daily Times. 21st Century Media. 2024-10-14. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  5. ^ "'Hope he's okay': Harris mocks Trump after rally turns into bizarre dance-a-thon". France 24. 2024-10-15. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  6. ^ a b c "Trump claims people 'fainted from the excitement' at his totally surreal town hall". The Independent. 2024-10-15. ISSN 1741-9743. OCLC 185201487. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  7. ^ LeVine, Marianne (2024-10-14). "Trump sways and bops to music for 39 minutes in bizarre town". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 2269358.
  8. ^ Dunworth, Liberty (2024-10-15). "Donald Trump Town Hall sees him dance for 30 minutes to Sinead O'Connor, Rufus Wainwright, Guns N' Roses and more". NME. ISSN 0028-6362. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  9. ^ a b Johnson, Ted (2024-10-15). "Donald Trump Defends Town Hall That Turned Into Unusual, 40-Minute Listening Session Of 'Ave Maria' And Other Songs From His Playlist". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  10. ^ a b "Trump turns political event into surreal listening party". NBC News. 2024-10-15. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  11. ^ Rinaldi, Olivia (2024-10-15). "Trump cuts short his town hall Q&A in favor of songs from rally playlist". CBS News. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  12. ^ a b "Trump's Town Hall Turns Into Bizarre Listening Party". Consequence. 2024-10-14. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  13. ^ a b "Trump's bizarre music session reignites questions about his mental acuity". NBC News. 2024-10-15. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  14. ^ Brennan, Chris (2024-10-15). "Opinion: 'Would anybody else like to faint?' Notes from Trump's deranged town hall rally". USA Today. Gannett. ISSN 0734-7456. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  15. ^ Gold, Michael (October 14, 2024). "Trump Bobs His Head to Music for 30 Minutes in Odd Town Hall Detour". The New York Times. OCLC 1645522.
  16. ^ a b Stechyson, Natalie (October 15, 2024). "Trump playing Hallelujah at town hall-turned-concert is 'blasphemy': Rufus Wainwright". CBC News.
  17. ^ Dolak, Kevin (2024-10-16). "Late Night Hosts Dunk on Trump's Town Hall "Love Fest" Where Music Played for 39 Minutes". The Hollywood Reporter. Eldridge Industries. ISSN 0018-3660. OCLC 44653726. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  18. ^ "Donald Trump's dance moves at unusual town hall in Montgomery County mocked by late night comedians". PhillyVoice. October 16, 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  19. ^ a b "'The View' slams Donald Trump's musical rally: 'Clearly in decline'". Entertainment Weekly. Dotdash Meredith. 2024-10-15. ISSN 1049-0434. OCLC 21114137. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  20. ^ Schneider, Aliya (2024-10-17). "Democrats mocked Trump's musical town hall in Oaks. His supporters called it a 'celebration of patriotism.'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. ISSN 0885-6613. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  21. ^ a b Villarreal, Daniel (October 15, 2024). "Trump's "bizarre" behavior at last night's rally has baffled followers & journalists". LGBTQ Nation.
  22. ^ Chudy, Emily (2024-10-16). "Kamala Harris questions if Trump is 'OK' after bizarre 40 minute YMCA dance routine". PinkNews. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  23. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2024-10-19). "Worst DJ Ever: How Donald Trump Threw the Most Disastrous Dance Party in American Political History". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. ISSN 0035-791X. OCLC 969027590. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  24. ^ Bort, Ryan; Klee, Miles; Ramirez, Nikki McCann; Dickinson, Tim (2024-11-04). "The 20 Craziest Moments of the 2024 Presidential Race". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  25. ^ Graham, David A. (2024-10-15). "Trump Breaks Down Onstage". The Atlantic. OCLC 936540106. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  26. ^ Schneider, Aliya (2024-10-17). "Donald Trump will hold another town hall in Pennsylvania this weekend after Monday's Montco musical tangent". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2024-10-30. The former president's Sunday town hall was announced a few days after his Monday town hall in Oaks in Montgomery County turned into an impromptu extended DJ session, raising widespread questions about Trump's mental acuity — though his supporters lauded the event as patriotic... Some of his supporters praised Trump for ending the questions, suggesting it was out of respect for the individuals who had to leave the rally.
  27. ^ McWhorter, John (October 31, 2024). "Donald Trump Is Bored". The New York Times.
  28. ^ "Trump campaign's use of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is "blasphemy," singer Rufus Wainwright says". CBS News. 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  29. ^ "Trump's dance party draws scorn from Rufus Wainwright". The Washington Post. 2024-10-15.
  30. ^ Bloch, Emily (2024-10-15). "Rufus Wainwright speaks out against Trump using his song at Oaks town hall". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  31. ^ Kaufman, Gil (2024-10-15). "Donald Trump Plays GNR, Sinead O'Connor, Village People Songs During Town Hall After Repeatedly Being Asked Not To". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. OCLC 732913734. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  32. ^ Evans, Greg (2024-10-15). "Rufus Wainwright Slams Trump Use Of 'Hallelujah' As "Blasphemy"; Leonard Cohen Estate Sends Campaign A Cease & Desist Letter". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  33. ^ Greiving, Tim (2024-10-29). "Rufus Wainwright takes time to make music on his terms — hallelujah for that". Los Angeles Times. OCLC 3638237. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  34. ^ Hudson, David (October 16, 2024). "Rufus Wainwright blasts Donald Trump for playing one of his songs at a rally". Queerty.
  35. ^ Madarang, Charisma (2024-10-15). "Trump Scraps Town Hall Q+A, Plays Music Videos for Crowd Instead". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. ISSN 0035-791X. OCLC 969027590. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  36. ^ Kurtzleben, Danielle (2024-10-15). "Trump town hall ends with extended 'musical-fest' while he stands onstage". NPR.
  37. ^ Kaufman, Gil (2024-10-16). "Trump Campaign Accuses Critical Musicians of Trying to Keep 'Half of the Country' From Enjoying Their Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  38. ^ Alberta, Tim (2024-11-02). "Inside the Ruthless, Restless Final Days of Trump's Campaign". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  39. ^ Ray, Siladitya (2024-10-15). "'Let's Just Listen To Music': Trump Turns Town Hall Into Concert, Prompting Mockery From Harris". Forbes. ISSN 0015-6914. OCLC 6465733. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  40. ^ Tait, Robert (2024-10-15). "Trump dances for 40 minutes during campaign rally: 'Let's listen to music'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  41. ^ Breuninger, Kevin (2024-10-15). "'Hope he's okay' — Harris mocks Trump over town hall music interlude, as he stonewalls on health records". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  42. ^ "Harris responds to Trump's town hall-turned "music fest": "Hope he's okay"". Axios. Cox Enterprises. 2024-10-15.
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