Trump furiously attacks Biden on Truth Social after ‘freezing’ on stage during NRA speech

Donald Trump slammed Joe Biden in a furious response after he appeared frozen for more than 30 seconds in the middle of a speech at the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual meeting over the weekend.

The 77-year-old former president was encouraging gun-toting Texans to vote ahead of November’s presidential election during his speech in Dallas when, suddenly, he fell silent.

Supporters of President Joe Biden were quick to attack Mr Trump, with his campaign team calling him “weak” on X, questioning the Republican’s mental competence.

Mr. Trump, however, claimed the whole thing was a “made-up story for the Biden campaign” in a rant on Truth Social.

“The Biden campaign…published a fake story that I “froze” for 30 seconds, entering the “Musical Interlude” section, when in reality the 30-60 second period of silence is the norm in every one of my speeches where we use music,” he said, with typical sporadic use of capital letters.

Mr. Trump has attempted to twist events to attack the president, who has often been criticized over his memory and mental health.

“The reason they made up this misinformation is because Biden freezes all the time, can’t put two sentences together, and can rarely walk off stage without help. Donald Trump does not freeze!”, he added.

On Saturday, Mr. Trump began praising Texans and their Wild West heritage in front of what he claimed was a “record crowd” of “enthusiastic patriots.”

Silence can be a useful tool to emphasize points and ensure key messages get through. However, Mr. Trump concluded the portion of his speech and did not say a word for another 30 seconds.

“The spirit of proud Texas independence was forged by brave, brave, courageous cowboys and ranchers, ranchers and rangers, oil workers, soldiers and pioneers,” he told the crowd of gun owners.

“Many came here with nothing but their boots or their feet, the clothes on their backs and the rifle on their saddle. Together, they helped make America the greatest nation in the history of the world,” Mr. Trump concluded before his half-minute pause.

This is not the only moment in Mr. Trump’s speech that was attacked by Biden and his campaign team.

The former president clung to his podium as he wobbled on stage, leading Biden’s campaign team to say he lost his footing for leaning “too hard” on his podium.

Trump, however, claimed it was the podium that was flawed – touting his own strength and reflexes that had kept him from toppling over.

“As for the podium, I actually kept him from falling through good reflexes and strength, two things Joe Biden doesn’t possess,” he said on Truth Social.

Following the misstep on stage, he appeared to mock the president and joked that the president “continues to lean further to the left…like too many other things,” he said as he surveyed the podium.