Trump fumes over mic issues at Milwaukee rally: 'Do you want to see me knock the hell out of people backstage?'
Former President Trump's rally in Milwaukee on Friday was derailed by technical difficulties as he seethed over microphone issues during his final planned stop in the swing state of Wisconsin.
The crowd at Fiserv Forum, the same venue that hosted July's GOP convention, chanted at times "fix the mic," while Trump pulled the microphone out of its holder and held it by hand.
"I think this mic stinks, by the way. And then we don't pay the contractor. I say don't pay the contractor, then they write a story, 'Trump doesn't pay his bills, he's a bad guy,'" Trump said.
"Do you want to see me knock the hell out of people backstage?" Trump added later, calling it a "pretty stupid situation."
"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 these stupid people. I’ll make you a deal. Pretend you’re listening to it perfectly and I’ll come back and do another one, OK?" he added, slamming the microphone against the podium.
The former president's remarks largely echoed his recent campaign speeches, as he attacked former first lady Michelle Obama as "nasty," disparaged Vice President Harris's qualifications to be president and vowed to crack down on immigration at the southern border.
Friday's rally in Milwaukee is the last visit to Wisconsin on Trump's schedule. He has events planned on Saturday in North Carolina on Virginia, on Sunday in North Carolina and Georgia, and on Monday in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Trump narrowly won Wisconsin in 2016 then lost the state by roughly 20,000 votes in 2020, though he made the false claim on Friday that he won the state twice. A Decision Desk HQ/The Hill average of polls from Wisconsin shows Trump and Harris essentially tied in the Badger State ahead of Election Day.