Trump paces onstage for 18 minutes at 'pretty empty' Detroit rally after his mic cuts out

18 October 2024

Former President Donald Trump's most recent campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan experienced fairly significant technical issues. And that was after a lengthy delay that resulted in a reportedly sparse audience.

According to several campaign reporters covering the event, Trump's rally was off to a rough start from the beginning. CNN reporter Alayna Treene told host Erin Burnett that the crowd waited for hours outside the venue before the doors were finally opened. And by the time the stage was set, Treene observed that the venue was "pretty empty."

"You can't really tell, Erin, from where you are — I mean right behind me you can see the crowd — but behind the camera where I'm speaking toward, it's actually pretty empty. They have not been able to fill this," Treene said. "And I will also tell you that it took us more than two hours. They were two hours delayed in getting us into the venue today. And so, there are questions about, I'm told it was not a security issue, according to two Secret Service officials, so questions about whether they were changing the optics in here."

By the time Trump actually took the stage, he only spoke for a few minutes before his microphone abruptly cut off. CBS News campaign reporter Jake Rosen tweeted a photo of a screen that read: "TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES — COMPLICATED BUSINESS" and told his followers that the crowd was occupying itself by chanting "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"It appears the sound system here in Detroit is completely down," Rosen posted. "After a few minutes of speaking, the mic went down. Trump hasn’t been able to get the podium mic or a handheld to work. The crowd is trying to keep the energy up."

Treene then tweeted that the former president's campaign team tried unsuccessfully to continue his speech by bringing him a different microphone, though that microphone was also faulty. Then she posted video of Trump shuffling around onstage while his supporters chanted from the stands.

"Trump has been walking around the stage waiting for a fix for several minutes now, while the crowd cheers & chants 'we love Trump,' Treene wrote.

Audio issues persisted for roughly 18 minutes, according to Treene. Once the ex-president's speech resumed, Rosen tweeted that he immediately launched into a tirade against the venue's audio-visual team.

Both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have held competing events in Michigan on Friday. Harris held rallies in Grand Rapids, the capital city of Lansing and in Oakland County, which is in the suburbs northwest of Detroit. The Mitten State's highly coveted 16 electoral votes may be decided by a few thousand votes statewide.

Watch Treene's video of Trump onstage below, or by clicking this link.

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