Trump goes silent for 18 minutes in Detroit after Huntington Place microphone goes out

Trump goes silent for 18 minutes in Detroit after Huntington Place microphone goes out

Former President Donald Trump's campaign rally at Huntington Place Friday was marked by a lengthy and awkward interlude after his microphone apparently cut out, about 10 minutes after he started speaking.

Trump spent several minutes walking around the perimeter of the stage, sometimes gesturing toward people in the crowd, which broke out in chants of "U.S.A." and "We love Trump" during the extended pause, which lasted about 18 minutes.

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Trump had just launched into his familiar call to impose tariffs on imports from China and other countries when the technical difficulties began.

"To me, the most beautiful word in the world in the dictionary is not love, it's not respect ... " Trump said.

But instead of delivering "tariffs," as the punchline, as expected, Trump went silent and began to walk around the stage.

"Trump, Trump, Trump," the crowd chanted.

After about 15 minutes, a message was posted on the large screen, advising of technical difficulties. A few minutes after that organizers turned on music.

Trump got his sound back at 8:16 p.m., about 18 minutes after the problems began.

He immediately made a reference to not paying the bill for use of the facility.

Trump told the crowd he didn't like the microphone from the first minute he began speaking. "If it goes off again, I'll sue their ass off," he said, before resuming his stump speech.

A Trump campaign spokeswoman had no immediate comment. A spokesperson for Huntington Place could not immediately be reached.

John Groves of Livonia, a Trump supporter and retired Ford Motor Co. worker who attended the event at Huntington Place, said after the speech that the microphone failure was "disruptive" and likely interrupted Trump's train of thought, but he thought the former president handled it well.

Trump earlier spoke in Hamtramck and Oakland County Friday.

His opponent, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, was also in Michigan Friday, with stops in Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Oakland County.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com.