No, Trump did not ‘freeze’ for 21 seconds during a Montana rally

After that rally, people on social media began sharing video clips that they claim show Trump “freezing” for 21 seconds during his speech, suggesting he is experiencing cognitive decline. 

“BREAKING: Trump freezes for 21 seconds during speech at his rally and Fox News has to cut away!” the text accompanying the viral videos says. 

VERIFY reader Bryan also asked us if Trump froze during the speech, comparing the incident to past instances of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appearing to freeze up during events.

THE QUESTION

Did former President Trump “freeze” for 21 seconds during a rally in Bozeman, Montana?

THE SOURCES

THE ANSWER

No, former President Trump did not “freeze” for 21 seconds during a rally in Bozeman, Montana. 

WHAT WE FOUND

The viral video clips that falsely claim to show Trump “freezing” during the rally in Bozeman, Montana, are lacking context. He actually paused during his speech because someone at the rally was having a medical emergency.

C-SPAN published footage from the rally on Saturday, Aug. 9. At about 16 minutes and 10 seconds into that footage, a person can be heard shouting, “Medic, medic, medic!” Trump responds by saying, “A doctor please, a doctor in the house. Thank you. Thank you very much.”

Forbes also published a video clip from the rally on YouTube with the headline: “DRAMATIC MOMENT: Trump Stops Montana Speech to Ask if There’s Doctor to Deal with Medical Emergency.” The one-minute, 39-second clip shows the same scene as the one described above in the C-SPAN footage.

Trump repeatedly thanks the doctor for treating the person and tells them to take their time for over one minute, the C-SPAN footage shows. Then, starting at about 18 minutes into the footage, Trump’s posture and facial expressions match those in the viral video clips that people online have shared with false claims about him “freezing” for 21 seconds.

He begins speaking again at about 18 minutes and 30 seconds into the video after audience members’ chants of, “Four more years.”

Trump then says many people who came to the rally “waited for days” before thanking someone – presumably the doctor – again. His speech appears to continue on as planned afterward. 

So we can VERIFY Trump did not “freeze” for 21 seconds during the Montana rally. Footage from the rally shows he was waiting for a doctor to help someone experiencing a medical emergency.