PITTSBURGH, Pa. (AP) — In his ongoing presidential campaign, Donald Trump has boasted for almost ten years about the large crowds he attracts. However, recently, those crowds have often been accompanied by conspicuous empty seats.
During his third run for the presidency, Trump faces a formidable opponent, as Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has also been organizing large rallies, further highlighting the fact that while Trump’s followers are enthusiastic, not every venue he speaks at is filled to capacity.
This past weekend in North Carolina, Trump delivered remarks at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, which has a capacity of 22,000. The lower levels of the arena had numerous empty seats, with the upper section even closed off.
Despite this, Trump continued to assert, “We’ve had the biggest rallies in the history of any country. Every rally’s full,” despite evidence to the contrary. He began his day in Raleigh, North Carolina, where late-arriving supporters almost filled the venue, though some seats were still empty. Later, at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania, sections of the 7,200-seat arena also displayed vacant areas.
Trump’s subsequent rally took place at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, where once again, blocked upper tier seating illustrated the trend of unfilled spaces.
Even though Trump’s rallies typically draw thousands of attendees who cheer enthusiastically, the visible gaps in attendance stand in stark contrast to the fervent crowds he enjoyed during his 2016 campaign. For instance, his final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was packed with supporters who began arriving as early as 7 a.m. for an event scheduled to start after midnight.
While crowd sizes often don’t dictate the outcome of elections, Trump’s smaller turnouts in this campaign cycle—especially compared to previous ones—are evident. His rallies this fall also tend to experience an exodus of attendees as his lengthy speeches stretch beyond an hour.
Reasons for this drop in attendance could include voter fatigue, as Trump frequently returns to the same battleground states and venues. For example, his smaller audience in Greensboro followed just eight days after his last appearance there, and he has faced criticism for starting events significantly late, such as a recent instance in Traverse City, Michigan, where he began three hours behind schedule.
Nevertheless, Trump seems acutely aware of the competitive landscape, particularly how Harris manages to match or surpass his rallying efforts. In fact, Harris recently filled the same coliseum in Greensboro that demonstrated Trump’s attendance issue.
Democrats are utilizing these crowd dynamics to undermine Trump, with former President Barack Obama mentioning Trump’s “weird obsession” with crowd sizes during a speech at the Democratic National Convention in August. Obama’s remarks included satirical gestures that echoed Trump’s past comments regarding hand sizes as indicative of his manhood.
During their only debate, Harris brought up crowd sizes as one way to illustrate that Trump’s time was over and encouraged people to attend his rallies to see for themselves.
On Monday night in Pittsburgh, Trump took aim at Beyoncé’s appearance at a recent Harris rally, which attracted over 30,000 people. Although Beyoncé did not perform, her presence highlighted the star power that Harris is harnessing in her campaign’s final days.
As the campaign drew to a close, Harris welcomed various celebrities, with a culminating event in Philadelphia featuring Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga. Meanwhile, Trump remains the main attraction in his rallies as former president. Reflecting on his appearances, he noted, “I have one left,” expressing a sense of nostalgia about the rallies and the crowds, no matter their actual size. “And remember, the rallies are the most exciting thing. They’ll never be rallies like this. This is never going to happen again.” ——
Barrow reported from Washington, with contributions from Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix and Joey Cappelletti in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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