TNR - The Washington Post Covered That Bizarro Trump Rally the Right Way

The Post’s reporter described Trump’s weird town hall–dance party exactly as it was. Is the press starting to get it?

Parker Molloy
October 15, 2024

Credit where credit’s due: The Washington Post got one very right.

Marianne LeVine’s recent article didn’t just report on Donald Trump’s latest campaign event—it unflinchingly showcased the sheer oddity of it. In a media environment in which Trump’s bizarre behavior often gets sanitized by political journalists, the Post delivered a straightforward account of an event that raises serious questions about Trump’s mental state.

At a town hall in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on Monday night, Trump was expected to engage with preselected attendees and answer their questions. Instead, after two individuals required medical attention, he took an unexpected turn. “Let’s not do any more questions. Let’s just listen to music. Let’s make it into a music. Who the hell wants to hear questions, right?” he said.

And just like that, a political town hall morphed into a 39-minute personal jam session. Trump played nine tracks from his self-curated playlist, swayed onstage, and even invited the crowd to join in. LeVine captured the surreal scene perfectly:

For 39 minutes, Trump swayed, bopped—sometimes stopping to speak—as he turned the event into almost a living-room listening session of his favorite songs from his self-curated rally playlist.

/snip

R Saddler
The Washington Post Covered That Bizarro Trump Rally the Right Way https://newrepublic.com/article/187180/washington-post-covered-bizarro-trump-rally-right-way

3:32 PM · Oct 15, 2024