A microphone failure interrupts Trump’s rally for nearly 20 minutes

DETROIT (AP) — Donald Trump walked silently on stage at his rally in Detroit on Friday for nearly 20 minutes after his microphone malfunctioned.

The Republican presidential candidate and vice president of the United States was about to expand on one of his favorite topics – targets – but before the announcement he said it was “the most beautiful word in the dictionary.” Soon after the noise stopped.

The crowd chanted “USA” and “we love Trump” to support him. But since his microphone was useless, Trump just wandered around the stage. He seemed unhappy, and sometimes turned his back to the audience.

This was the second time in a week that one of their events was cancelled. The previous time, on Monday, Trump interrupted a town hall and played music after several people in the audience needed medical attention. At this point, the former president seemed to have little control over the matter and stood quietly as the room’s screens flashed the messages “technical difficulties” and “issue complicated”.

Trump is known for being attentive to his image and the mechanics of his rallies, often referring to microphones and teleprompters. Earlier Friday, the hosts of “Fox & Friends” joked that the Republican candidate likes to change the lighting when he gives interviews.

His advisers are known to travel with several back-up microphones – although it is not known why they could not immediately find one on Friday – and carefully prepare the flags with which they will decorate the their levels.

As the delay lengthened, the crowd continued to cheer and sing. At one point the public made a wave.

Finally, after nearly 20 minutes, an adviser introduced Trump with a new microphone that worked.

“I will not pay the bill for this stupid company,” he said. “I won’t pay the bill, and then we’ll have a story about Trump not paying the bill to a contractor.”