There was no rhyme or reason for Trump’s 40 minutes of vamping during what had to be a fugue state. It was also impossible for those who shared the stage with him not to be embarrassed by his antics but had no option to leave inconspicuously. (C-SPAN screenshot)
“Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” — Johnny Rotten at the Winterland Ballroom following the Sex Pistols’ last American performance on Jan 14, 1978.
After a second person fainted and needed medical attention at his town hall in Oaks, Pa., on Monday night, Donald Trump was ready to move on from faking interest in what potential voters had to say to him or what they expected him to say to them. Three questions followed by three incoherent answers was enough.
In a statement that deserves to be iconic for reasons he never intended, Trump showed the depths of his contempt for his audience: “Would anyone else like to faint? Please, raise your hand.”
Out of the corner of his eye he could see MAGA slowly heading for the exits. That’s when the Republican presidential candidate’s reptilian brain jumped into executive decision-making mode.
Because he was fresh from a trek to Coachella, Trump had music on his mind. Why deprive the good people of Oaks, Pa., who had turned out for a sliver of rational political discourse three weeks from Election Day, of hearing the soundtrack to the chaotic stream of consciousness that constitutes his inner life?
“You know what we could do, though, if my guys can do it: how ‘bout we do a little music? Let’s make this a musical fest,” Trump said, canceling the town hall format in favor of something more free-form and freakish. The only thing missing was Johnny Rotten’s trademark sneer.
The minions standing behind Trump on stage fell into line and erected fake smiles of approval. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem who was sharing the stage with him knew how high to jump when it was clear he wasn’t joking about doing the shimmy-shake. Grinning like an idiot, Noem bopped her head, too.
For nearly 40 minutes the former president’s DJ doomscrolled through the former president’s greatest hits while he swayed, lip-synched through a few bars and closed his eyes to take in the music.
If someone had a dream that was similar to what Trump actually did at his town hall in Oaks, they would be too embarrassed to tell their shrink about it.
The clips on social media are almost too mortifying to watch. Luciano Pavarotti did not have this in mind when he recorded “Ave Maria.” James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s World” takes on an even more sinister bent on any stage occupied by Trump.
There’s nothing subtle about Trump’s use of Sinead O’Connor’s version of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Rufus Wainwright’s version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” has been subverted and turned into a heavenly endorsement of an infernal character.
Andrea Bocelli’s “Time to Say Goodbye,” Elvis Presley’s “An American Trilogy,” Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain,” the Village People’s “YMCA” and “Memory” from the long-running musical “Cats” rounded out the musical section of the town hall that probably weirded out more people than it charmed.
There was no rhyme or reason for Trump’s 40 minutes of vamping during what had to be a fugue state. It was also impossible for those who shared the stage with him not to be embarrassed by his antics but had no option to leave inconspicuously.
They also knew that as loyal Republicans, they would be expected to say how “normal” his behavior was when questioned about it later. There was no room for second guessing the Dear Leader’s decision to give himself over to the dance already in full swing in the genre-spanning echo chambers of his mind.
Recently, I caught a matinee screening of “Joker: Folie a Deux,” arguably the most pointless sequel of all time unless it is eclipsed by Trump’s re-election. Other than a patron sitting in the back who used the opportunity to catch some shut-eye, I had the theater to myself. I thought the decision to turn the usual comic book villain melodrama into a musical starring Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix would be an interesting narrative journey, so I was open to it. How bad could it really be considering it got a standing ovation at Cannes?
I was wrong! “Joker: 2” was an irredeemable waste of time for all the reasons critics have lambasted it. It refuses to make any connection with audiences, even those who desperately want it to succeed. It is defiantly solipsistic, meandering and murky. It is also a babbling, narcissistic mess much like the movie I saw in an empty theater the previous week — Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis.”
While watching clips on social media of Trump swaying, bopping and weaving to the music, I thought of “Joker: 2” and all the things most people don’t like about musicals starring criminals wrestling with felonious demons in their heads.
Instead of partying “like it was 1999” while the audience stirred uncomfortably, Trump should’ve been answering questions about his promise to jail his domestic opposition, his refusal to release his medical records, his lies about FEMA storm relief and why he believes skipping debates or refusing to be interviewed by folks more skilled than the average podcaster in the manosphere is a smart strategy.
Everyone knows that neither Trump’s head or heart are up to the rigors of sustained political discourse, no matter how friendly his audience or interlocutors are. He’s clearly a man in cognitive decline who thinks we’re all too stupid to notice because of his vigor and bombastic style.
On Truth Social, the failing social media site he “owns,” Trump spun his debacle in Oaks into a victory: “I had a Town Hall in Pennsylvania last night. It was amazing! The Q and A was almost finished when people began fainting from the excitement and heat. We started playing music while we waited, and just kept it going. So different, but it ended up being a GREAT EVENING!”
Once again, Donald J. Trump proved that no matter how eager he is to Crip-walk his way to a second inauguration, he is thoroughly incapable of facing the music that matters. Johnny Rotten was really on to something.
This column was originally published in Pennsylvania Capital-Star, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.