Trump makes bizarre joke while talking to couple whose son died at war
A Donald Trump town hall full of strange moments was interrupted by a joke the former president made about being shot at a couple whose son died in the war in Afghanistan.
The conversation with South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem in Oaks, Pennsylvania, turned into an impromptu concert after the former president was interrupted twice by medical emergencies in the room.
But at some point, Noem introduced Mary and Charles Strange, a Gold Star family whose son Michael was killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2011.
Trump and Noem encouraged the Strange family to come on stage, but Trump then joked about getting up to meet them.
“It’s been a little harder to get up since I got shot.” It made it harder. Maybe that’s the way it should be,” he said.
A Donald Trump town hall full of strange moments was interrupted by a joke the former president made about being shot at a couple whose son died in the war in Afghanistan
At one point, Noem introduced Mary and Charles Strange, a Gold Star family whose son Michael (pictured) was killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2011.
Noem chuckled before reintroducing the Strange family: “They lost their son Michael. Come over here.’
Both Trump and the family moved past it, with Charles Strange asking the president to launch a Congressional investigation into his son’s death.
‘My son was murdered on August 6, 2011, along with 29 other men. It was the largest loss of life in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars,” Strange said.
’22 of them were Navy Special Warfare men. To this day we still have not received an answer. I was wondering, I’m begging you, we would like a hearing in Congress.”
Trump responded, “So this is what we’re going to do.
‘In the first week – not the first day, because I promised a lot on the first day, we are going to do baby drilling exercises, we are going to close the border, we are going to do a lot on the first day. We will put together a committee in the first week.’
He completed his plan by inviting Charles and Mary Strange to visit him after he is elected.
“We’re going to find out because so many people are in the same position. They want to know what happened, why did it happen to their son or daughter, and we are going to do that in the first week. So get ready to come to the White House, okay?”
Michael Strange (photo) was killed in 2011 while serving in the war in Afghanistan
Charles Strange (pictured right) asked the president to launch a Congressional investigation into his son’s death
Monday night’s event was billed as a “town hall” and a chance for Trump to answer questions about the economy from voters who could determine the outcome of the entire election.
But after South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem playfully chaired the question and answer session for just 32 minutes, he was warned of a commotion in the crowd.
“A doctor please,” Trump said.
The crowd fell silent as a medic continued their work.
“This is a bit of a difficult issue,” Trump said, looking down from the podium with concern.
A few minutes later, after an audience member named Heather managed to ask a question about the border, a second person became ill. The people around her waved their campaign signs like fans.
With another pause in the proceedings, the people at the back of the crowded and overheated room saw their opportunity and began streaming toward the exit.
“While we wait… So we had a beautiful evening, and I don’t know if they could play this song quickly, but if they could work backstage real quickly while we were waiting… Ave Maria,” Trump said , explaining that it provided a magical moment during his meeting in Butler a week ago.
Donald Trump left his town hall with South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to play music after two people fell ill at the event in suburban Philadelphia
“If you can get it, Justin, let’s go.”
He instructed his staff to put up his “favorite map” (showing the blue and yellow spikes of illegal immigration, which he credited with saving him from an assassin’s bullets) and so it was that Trump created a makeshift organized a music festival.
There was Ave Maria, first a wordless version, much to Trump’s dismay, and then one with Pavarotti.
At one point, an assistant appeared next to him with a piece of paper, allowing Trump to play DJ by selecting an analog-style playlist: “November Rain” by Guns N Rose and “Memory” from the show Cats were featured.
And then it was one of Trump’s favorite songs of all time: “It’s a Man’s World,” featuring Pavarotti and James Brown.
Trump waved slightly and looked into the distance as Noem clutched her hands at her sides. When she wondered what was going on, the crowd didn’t care: it was all smiles and cheers, waving red MAGA hats in the air.
Once a showman, Trump now had to figure out how to get off stage.
“We can ask a few more questions, if you want…you’ll probably want to do one,” he said doubtfully.
An assistant appeared with a list of songs, including ‘November Rain’, ‘Memory’ from the show Cats and ‘Point of no Return’
‘But it ends so beautifully. How about this? We’re playing YMCA… but listen, whatever you can do, get out there. We have to win. This is important.’
This was not how the evening should have gone. And Trump has at least thought about rallying the troops.
“If we win Pennsylvania, we win the whole thing,” he said.
As the Village People’s signature disco tunes played, Trump and Noem turned into crazed teenagers, throwing shapes as the remnants of the crowd joined in or drifted away.
Pennsylvania has more electoral votes, 19, than any of the other six battleground states. According to an Associated Press count, voters enjoyed an inordinate amount of attention with 46 stops from the two candidates.
President Joe Biden will attend a fundraiser in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Harris is back in the state on Wednesday and Senator JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, has two events in Pennsylvania during the week.