In a Milwaukee rally marked by technical difficulties, former President Donald Trump took to the microphone with a mix of humor and frustration, threatening to "knock the hell out of people backstage" due to ongoing audio issues. Held in the crucial swing state of Wisconsin, Friday's rally featured Trump railing against his team's technical setup as he held the microphone in his hand, exclaiming, "The mic is terrible... I think this mic stinks."
The Republican presidential nominee faced frequent sound issues during his speech, prompting the crowd to chant, "Fix the mic!" Trump responded, "You gotta be kidding. Do you want to see me knock the hell out of people backstage?" His remark was met with enthusiastic cheers from the audience, who seemed entertained by his display of irritation.
At one point, Trump complained, "I get so angry. I'm up here seething. I'm seething, I'm working my ass off with this stupid mic. I'm blowing out my left arm, now I'm going to blow out my right arm and I'm blowing out my damn throat too because of these stupid people." The rally, one of several competing events in Milwaukee that day, saw Vice President Kamala Harris speaking nearby, joined by rapper Cardi B and comedian Keegan-Michael Key as the two campaigns battled for attention in Wisconsin.
Eventually, a wireless microphone was brought out for Trump, who joked about its weight, saying, "This mic is much heavier than the other one. I can do exercise, I can build up my muscles." The brief quip contrasted with the otherwise charged tone of the evening, as Trump took aim at several of his political opponents.
As frustrations over the microphone faded, Trump launched into a new line of criticism against Liz Cheney, former Republican congresswoman and now Harris supporter. Trump, who has previously sparred with Cheney, called her a "war hawk" and issued a provocative remark: "Let's put her with the rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her... let's see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are trained on her face." The statement was met with mixed reactions online, and Cheney quickly responded on X (formerly Twitter), condemning Trump as a "cruel, unstable man." She added, "This is how dictators destroy free nations."
Cheney's remarks were echoed by Vice President Harris, who criticized Trump's language as "disqualifying," and added that anyone "who uses that kind of violent rhetoric is clearly disqualified and unqualified to be president." Harris's response came amid increasing attention to Trump's history of heated remarks, with critics pointing out his frequent use of aggressive language against both supporters and opponents alike.
Cardi B, who was also affected by technical issues during her own appearance in Milwaukee, took a humorous approach to her speech problems, reading her notes from a smartphone in response to a teleprompter glitch. Trump later referenced her during his speech, playfully pointing out that he wasn't the only one facing tech issues that night.
Trump's remarks follow a history of controversial comments made at rallies and other public events. During a California rally last month, Trump suggested that a protester could "get the hell knocked out of her." His statements on Friday echo similar remarks from his 2016 campaign, where he told supporters to "knock the crap" out of hecklers and expressed a desire to "punch a protester in the face."
The Milwaukee rally drew national attention on social media, with a clip of Trump's microphone complaints going viral after it was posted on X by the "Acyn" account, garnering over 750,000 views. The post brought both supporters and critics to the platform, with some finding humor in Trump's frustrations and others expressing concern over his threats of violence, even if in jest.
