Donald Trump leaves town hall question-and-answer session to play James Brown and Pavarotti after two people fall ill

The first casualty was an inconvenience that caused Donald Trump to pause for a minute or two while answering mid-flight questions about real estate prices, the border and small businesses.

When the second person collapsed in the heat of the crowded exhibition hall, the former president knew he had a problem. A few people at the back of the hall were making their way to the exits and he knew he had to get the crowd going. It was time for plan B.

“Let’s ask no more questions,” Trump told his audience in suburban Philadelphia. “Let’s just listen to music.”

First came Ave Marie, Schubert’s masterpiece popular at weddings and funerals, as Trump stood center stage and looked into the distance.

Then came Pavarotti and James Brown. And finally, inevitably, the villagers sing “YMCA”

It was a reminder that Trump is one of the most unpredictable politicians in the world.

And for his critics, a sign that perhaps politics has always been secondary to the show.

It shouldn’t have been like this. Monday night’s event was billed as a “town hall” and an opportunity for Trump to answer voters’ questions about the economy that could decide the outcome of the entire election.

But just 32 minutes in, during which South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem courageously led the question-and-answer session, he became aware of excitement in the crowd.

“A doctor, please,” Trump said.

The crowd fell silent as a medic went about his work.

“This is a little difficult,” Trump said, looking worriedly down from the stage.

Minutes later, after a viewer named Heather managed to ask a question about the border, a second person fell ill. People around them waved their campaign signs like fans.

When the proceedings were interrupted again, the people at the back of the crowded and overheated hall saw their chance and streamed towards the exit.

“While we wait…So we had a wonderful evening, and I don’t know if they could finish this song quickly, but if they could work really quickly backstage while we wait…Ave Maria,” said Trump and explained that it was a magical moment at his rally in Butler a week ago.

“If you can get it, Justin, let’s go.”

Instructing his staff to put up his “favorite map” (which features the blue and yellow spikes of illegal immigration and which he credits with saving him from an assassin’s bullets), Trump threw an impromptu music festival.

There was Ave Maria, first a wordless version, much to Trump’s dismay, and then one with Pavarotti.

At some point, an employee appeared with a piece of paper at his side and allowed Trump to play DJ by selecting an analog playlist: “November Rain” by Guns N Rose and “Memory” from the show “Cats” could be seen.

And then it was one of Trump’s favorite songs of all time: “It’s a Man’s World” with Pavarotti and James Brown.

Trump swayed slightly and stared into the distance as Noem placed her hands at her sides. If she wondered what was going on, the audience didn’t care: everyone was smiling and cheering and waving red MAGA hats in the air.

Always the showman, Trump now had to figure out how to get off the stage.

“We could ask another question or two if you’d like…you’d probably want to ask one,” he said doubtfully.

“But it ends so beautifully.” How about this? We’re going to play YMCA…but listen, whatever you can do, get out. We have to win. This is important.’

This wasn’t how the evening was supposed to go. And Trump at least thought about rallying the troops.

“If we win Pennsylvania, we win the whole thing,” he said.

As the Village People’s familiar disco tunes played, Trump and Noem transformed into goofy teenagers, throwing shapes as what was left of the crowd joined in or moved away.

Even by Trump’s own distorted standards of campaign events, this was strange. He suggested that his response to driving down house prices was to do “baby exercises”; digressed into why he liked talking about the “late great” Hannibal Lecter (“because he was a sick puppy – and we have a lot of sick puppies coming into the country”); and he promised to stop the war in Ukraine “during his election as president,” all during the normal portion of the event.

But Trump cannot afford to waste time in Pennsylvania.

Vice President Kamala Harris was campaigning in Erie at the same time, as both campaigns make the Keystone State their top priority.

A poll by JL Partners for DailyMail.com showed Sunday that the race couldn’t be closer.

The two candidates each have a share of 47 percent of the vote.

And our electoral model predicts that Pennsylvania will likely be the tipping point: Whoever wins here is on track to win the 270 Electoral College votes they need to take the White House.

Eight years ago, Trump beat Hillary Clinton in this state by more than 40,000 votes. But in 2020, things came back to the Democrats when Joe Biden, who was born here, beat Trump by about 80,000 votes.

Both sides invest time, money and bodies in the state because they won’t let anything change.

Trump ally Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has set up shop in Pittsburgh as his American Political Action Committee takes over some of the Republican ground game.

Rich Landis, 75, who mows lawns for a living, said for voters in the state, it all comes down to the economy.

“I have to buy so much gas that it kills me, on top of everything else,” he said.

“It’s just a matter of how many businesses in our area are closing?”

Meanwhile, all he hears from Harris is that he is happy with the country’s development.

“All I hear are lies.” “Some are Republican lies, but most of them are Democrats,” he said.

“They tell me the borders are closed.” They tell me the economy is great. Yeah right!’

With 19, Pennsylvania has more electoral votes than any of the other six contested states. And so voters enjoyed overwhelming attention, with 46 stops by the two candidates, according to a tally by the Associated Press.

President Joe Biden will attend a fundraiser in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Harris is back in the state on Wednesday and Senator JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, has two events in Pennsylvania later in the week.