DETROIT (AP) — Donald Trump paced his rally stage in silence for nearly 20 minutes Friday night in Detroit after his microphone cut out.
The Republican nominee and former president was about to wax on about one of his favorite subjects, tariffs, working up to naming it by first teasing “the most beautiful word in the dictionary.” Very quickly afterward, the sound went down.
The crowd chanted “USA” and “We love Trump” in support. But with no microphone, Trump simply wandered around the stage. Looking frustrated, his back was turned to most of his audience at times.
It was the second time in a week that one of his events was interrupted — though the last time, on Monday, Trump cut off a town hall and instead played music after multiple people in the audience needed medical attention. This time, Trump appeared to have little control over the matter, standing silently while the screens in the room displayed the messages “Technical Difficulties" and "Complicated Business.”
Trump is famously attuned to his image and the mechanics of his rallies, often commenting on the microphones and teleprompters. Earlier Friday, the hosts of “Fox & Friends” joked that Trump likes to adjust the lighting when he sits for interviews.
Aides are known to travel with multiple backup mics — though it was unclear why they weren't able to locate one immediately Friday — and to carefully prepare the flags that decorate his stages.
As the delay stretched on, the crowd continued to cheer and chant. At one point, the crowd did the wave.
Finally, after nearly 20 minutes, an aide brought Trump a replacement microphone that worked.
“I won’t pay the bill for this stupid company," he said. “I won't pay the bill, and then we’ll have a story that Trump didn’t pay the bill to a contractor.”
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump pauses during technical difficulties at a campaign rally, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump pauses during technical difficulties at a campaign rally, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
TOKYO (AP) — A man threw several firebombs into the headquarters of Japan’s ruling party in Tokyo Saturday, public broadcaster NHK and other Japanese media reported. There were no reports of injuries.
Tokyo police declined to comment, noting the matter was still under investigation. The man, arrested on the spot, had driven his car into nearby fencing, the news reports said. His motive for the attack was not immediately clear.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is increasingly unpopular with the public due to a ballooning money scandal involving dubious funding and suspected tax evasion.
The party declined to comment on Saturday's attack, referring all queries to the police.
Voting for the lower house of Parliament is set for Oct. 27. Some tarnished politicians lost the official backing of the ruling party but are running as independents.
The party recently chose a new leader, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, hoping to present a new image. But polls show its popularity plummeting, although it’s still unclear whether they will lose their majority grip on the lower house in the upcoming election given the splintered opposition.
Some candidates have been heckled, which is relatively rare in Japanese culture.
The Liberal Democrats have ruled Japan almost incessantly over recent decades. They are credited with leading Japan as it became an economic powerhouse from the devastation of World War II.
Then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated in 2022, while making a speech for a ruling party candidate during a parliamentary election. The killer used a handmade firearm, saying he resented Abe because his mother gave all the family money to the Unification Church, and he saw Abe as affiliated with that church. Such ties are still ongoing with some ruling party politicians.
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Police vehicles park near the headquarters of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo after a man threw firebombs into the headquarters Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
Officials work near a vehicle, center, which was stuck against a barricade near the prime minister's office in Tokyo Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
Police officers work near a vehicle, center, which was stuck against a barricade near the prime minister's office, background, in Tokyo Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
