Trump turns on music after heat derails town hall

WASHINGTON

Former US President Donald Trump on Monday cut short a town hall event after two attendees needed medical attention.

While Trump – who is seeking a return to the White House – was taking questions from supporters in the swing state of Pennsylvania, he stopped when the hot venue made at least two attendees faint.

Trump asked for Schubert’s Ave Maria to be played on the loudspeakers as medics tended to one man. When a second person needed medical attention, Trump requested that the hall’s doors be opened.

"For security reasons, they can't. But you know what I suggest? Open them. Because anybody comes through those doors, you know what's going to happen to them," Trump said, apparently referring to recent assassination attempts against him.

On the hot room, he said: “Personally, I enjoy this. We lose weight, you know. No, you lose weight. We could do this – lose four or five pounds.”

After a second person was helped to their feet, he said: "Would anybody else like to faint?"

He added: "Let's not do any more questions. Let's just listen to music. Let's make it into a music fest. Who the hell wants to hear questions, right? Isn't that beautiful?"

Trump’s critics have decried what they call his meandering rally speeches and refusal to grapple with policy questions in a serious way.

Trump will face Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, in less than three weeks, on Election Day, Nov. 5.