Donald Trump Fires Back at Claims He 'Froze' During Rally

Donald Trump has rejected claims he "froze" during a rally.

The former president spoke at the National Rifle Association's annual meeting in Dallas on Saturday and fell silent for around 30 seconds, leading to critics and supporters of Joe Biden's campaign claiming he "glitched out and froze."

But writing on his social media platform Truth Social early Monday, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said he had stopped speaking to listen to music playing, calling it a "standard" part of his speeches.

The Context

Social media users, including the group Biden's Wins, said Trump "froze" after he remained silent for an extended period of time after praising the state of Texas.

"The Texas spirit of proud independence was forged by cowboys and cattle hands, ranchers and rangers, oil workers, soldiers and brave, brave, brave, pioneers," Trump said.

"Many came here with nothing but the boots or their feet, the clothes on their back, and the gun in their saddle. Together they helped make America into the single greatest nation in the history of the world."

He then fell silent as music played before continuing his speech. "But now we are a nation in decline," Trump then said. "We are a failing nation. We are a nation that has the highest inflation in 58 years, where banks are collapsing, and interest rates are skyrocketing."

What We Know

But in response, Trump accused Biden's campaign of "disinformation" and said that it was the Democrat who "freezes all the time."

He wrote:

"My Speech in Dallas this weekend at the NRA's "Endorsement of President Donald J. Trump," was attended by a Record Crowd of very enthusiastic Patriots. The Biden Campaign, however, put out a Fake Story that I "froze" for 30 seconds, going into the "Musical Interlude" section, when in actuality, the 30 to 60 second period of silence is standard in every one of my Speeches where we use the Music. Check out any of my Speeches! The reason they came up with this Disinformation is that Biden freezes all the time, can't put two sentences together, and can rarely find his way off the stage without help. Donald Trump doesn't freeze! It is a MADE UP Biden Campaign story, put out in a dying Newspaper that I never heard of, and every Reporter knows it, including the large group that was there...."

Views

Harry Sisson, a Democrat content creator, wrote that Trump "just FROZE for a solid 30 seconds. This guy is clearly unfit to serve. He has mentally declined rapidly, and it's very clear. He needs to drop out of the race ASAP!"

What's Next?

As the presidential campaign continues, attacks on each politician are likely to ramp up.

Newsweek contacted a representative for Trump by email outside of business hours to comment on this story.

Update 5/20/24, 3:38 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and background.