Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump did a lights-out job of turning a problem into an illuminating moment Sunday on the campaign trail, supporters would say.
Soon after Trump began speaking Sunday afternoon at a campaign stop in Atlanta, the lights in the hall suddenly shut off and left the stage in darkness.
Without missing a beat, Trump said, “They didn’t pay the electric bill. Oh, I like that much better. That’s so much better. Those lights were brutal. Are they coming from the dishonest press?”
When the lights came back on, the real estate magnate-turned-reality TV star began waving his arms and led the crowd in a chant:
“No! Get those lights off! Off! They’re too bright, turn them off!” Trump told the stagehands and exhorted the crowd. “Ready? Turn off the lights! Turn off the lights! Turn off the lights!”
When they did, Trump said that the incident demonstrated how he would negotiate as president.
“And because the lights didn’t work, I won’t pay the rent, so we get better lighting, and we don’t pay the rent, right?” Trump said to cheers. “That’s the way we have to negotiate for our country.”
The light-dimming culprit was never found, but Trump said later that a protester was responsible.
“They just told me it was a protester that turned the lights off,” Trump told his supporters.
Watch the video of the speech below. Remember, adjusting the brightness on your screen won’t help: