US Election 2024: Donald Trump paces rally stage for 20 minutes in silence after ‘technical difficulties’

Republican presidential nominee, former US President Donald Trump, reacts as his microphone stops working during a campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan. Photo / Getty Images

For almost 20 minutes, Donald Trump stood silent on stage at his rally in Detroit.

It wasn’t that the Republican candidate was lost for words. His speech in one of the country’s largest swing states was instead beset by technical difficulties.

Ten minutes into the speech, Trump told his audience: “To me, the most beautiful word in the dictionary, it’s not love, it’s not respect…”

The former President was about to say “tariffs” but the microphone cut out.

During the 17-minute outage, Trump paced around the stage, talking to technical staff and attendees.

Trump reacts as his microphone stops working. Photo / Getty Images

Unlike in Pennsylvania last week, there was no music from Trump’s personally curated Spotify playlist, which his team turned to while two attendees had medical issues.

Chants of “USA, USA, USA” and “We love Trump” erupted from the audience as he stood silently on stage.

“Fight, fight, fight,” they continued.

His adoring audience held aloft red and blue signs reading “Make Detroit Great Again” and “Build It In America”.

The giant video screens flashed: “Technical Difficulties Complicated Business”.

A giant video screen says ‘Technical Difficulties Complicated Business’. Photo / Getty Images

A second microphone was handed to Trump. It didn’t work.

He then once again tried the microphone on the lectern, throwing his hands in the air as no sound emerged.

And then Eye of the Tiger began to play, and Trump walked over to his microphone, leaned into it and said: “Hello”.

“I won’t pay the bill for this stupid company that rented us this crap,” Trump said.

“I won’t pay the bill. And then we’ll have a story that Trump didn’t pay the bill to a contractor. No. When they do that kind of a job, don’t pay the bill.”

He went on for another hour, sometimes complaining he had to “scream” to be heard, even though the audio system was blaring at full volume.

Former United States President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Detroit. Photo / AFP

Trump said United States Senate candidate Mike Rogers did not want to join him on stage because of the “crappy microphone”.

“I want to keep him good and healthy,” the former President added.

“I want him to have his voice tomorrow. When I get up tomorrow and I can’t speak, I’m going to say, ‘Detroit did it to me.’”