Donald Trump's recent performance in Pennsylvania was nothing short of bizarre, with the presidential nominee mistakenly referring to the election date as "5 January" instead of the correct "5 November". However, the strangest part of the event occurred when the former POTUS and Republican candidate had to pause his Town Hall due to several medical emergencies caused by the warm temperatures inside the venue. Instead of addressing political questions, Trump opted to host a 30-minute music session, dancing along to a playlist that included tracks by artists who have previously threatened legal action against him. The playlist featured a mix of songs such as Guns N’ Roses’ ‘November Rain’, James Brown’s ‘It’s A Man’s World’, ‘YMCA’, ‘Memory’ from Cats, multiple versions of ‘Ave Maria’, and Sinéad O'Connor’s 'Nothing Compares 2 U'. Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose has been vocal in his disapproval of Trump, and O’Connor’s estate previously issued a cease-and-desist order to prevent her music from being used at his rallies.
The unusual turn of events was widely discussed on social media, with many viewers expressing their discomfort and confusion. Clips from the event were quickly shared online, with comments ranging from "Trump holds a town hall and instead of answering questions, he stands on stage with boring music playing. Over and over and over again. So cringe and so weird" to "In what is the craziest thing that I’ve ever seen in politics, Donald Trump spent the last 38 minutes of his Pennsylvania townhall just listening to music and dancing on stage, alone. 8 different songs played in that time". Another notable track played was Rufus Wainwright’s version of ‘Hallelujah’, which led the singer to issue a statement condemning Trump’s use of his music, calling it "the height of blasphemy".
This isn’t the first time Trump has faced legal action for using music without permission. Artists ranging from Tom Petty and Neil Young to Adele and Bruce Springsteen have all issued cease-and-desist orders against the politician. Most recently, Beyoncé reportedly threatened legal action for the unauthorized use of her song ‘Freedom’ in a social media video posted by Trump’s campaign spokesperson.
