Donald Trump is trying to make up ground in key battleground states, but there was a bit of an issue during a Town Hall in Pennsylvania.
Two attendees needed medical assistance, leading to Trump cutting the rally short and playing music instead.
Talking Points…
- Medical emergencies
- Trump cuts it short
- Analysis
From what I can see, Donald Trump now has six key states: North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada. Trump must win North Carolina and Georgia, split Michigan and Pennsylvania, and split Arizona and Nevada. If he does that, he should win this election. Most of these states are about even, so Trump clearly still has a lot of work to do to lock down this election.
Unfortunately, his Town Hall in Pennsylvania did not go as planned. On two different occasions, guests attending the rally required medical assistance. Each interruption took considerable time, eating away at Trump's stage time, essentially making the night useless in terms of political benefit. After the second person fainted, Trump tried to crack a joke, stating:
"Would anybody else like to faint? Please raise your hand."
Now, I know Trump was trying to lighten the moment, but we all know how the media is going to portray this. Trump's words are already being twisted from the rally in California, so I can see the memes and quick takes on that comment above.
Trump did wind up cutting the rally short, however. Rather than continuing to take questions, Trump just had them play "Ave Maria," "Time to Say Goodbye," and "It's a Man's World." Again, I'm not sure if these were the best choices of songs considering the circumstances and Trump's criticisms, but he always seems to dig in deeper rather than do something that would garner less criticism.
Trump initially sounded like he would resume questions from the attendees, which drew a big cheer, but then he took a different route, telling them that he would play "YMCA" and go home. Trump then added:
"Let me just give you the bottom line, though.
"We win Pennsylvania, we win this great commonwealth, we are going to win the whole ballgame. It's such an important place."
Trump's staff tried to put a positive spin on this, with his controversial spokesperson Steven Cheung posting:
"Something very special is happening in Pennsylvania right now at the Trump townhall.
"@realDonaldTrump is unlike any politician in history, and it's great."
I don't have quite the positive take that Cheung has on this because I look at it based on how the media and Democrats will interpret this, and they are going to feast on it. This crack about fainting will come off as him not caring, as will the idea of just playing music at the Town Hall, then sending everyone on their way. And I have to admit; I was shocked to see Governor Noem there after she more or less committed career suicide with her story about killing her dog.
If we look at the big picture here, I am now also very concerned about North Carolina, a state that generally falls red but is always very tight. Trump has been very critical of relief efforts and FEMA, and now FEMA had to shut down due to numerous threats against its workers, shutting down rescue and relief efforts, which are all going to be blamed on Trump. How does he think that will play out on election day? Without North Carolina, Trump has almost no path to victory unless he takes both Michigan and Pennsylvania to make up the deficit. In my opinion, this is a sloppy and unorganized campaign that needs to get its act together, or he will lose this election. Blast me if you want, but they are making unforced errors that are cutting deep, and it needs to stop.
