A.G. Gancarski
With liability waivers signed, the not-quite-capacity crowd at President Donald Trump’s first arena rally in months attempted a simulacrum of 2016’s energy.
But the house wasn’t full, and the campaign’s claim that a million tickets were moved emerged somewhere around 990,000 short.
Campaign manager Brad Parscale blamed “radical protesters, fueled by a week of apocalyptic media coverage” for the subpar draw.
The President advanced that proposition. “Thugs” scared his crowd away, he said, blaming the “fake news” and “some very bad people outside” for the depressed draw.
“We had some very bad people outside,” Trump insisted. “Very bad people outside doing bad things.”
The President said they were “thugs” and “maniacs” and their violence led to curtailing outdoor events.
He also discussed insurrection in Seattle, with the “radical left Democratic Governor” to blame.
“Let it simmer for a while. Let the people see what radical left Democrats will do to our country,” Trump said, discussing a pattern of property destruction and attacks on cops, with “the radical fake news saying what a beautiful rally it was.”
The President, despite a break from rallies for months and the light crowd, was in 2016 form.
He claimed to have done a “phenomenal job” fighting the “China virus” and “Kung Flu,” suggesting that his administration slowed the testing down because he didn’t like the numbers.
“When you do testing to that extent, you’re going to find more people. You’re going to find more cases. So I said to my people slow the testing down please,” Trump said, noting that testing is a “double-edged sword.”
Trump delivered remarks in an arena where masks were about as visible as Black Lives Matter shirts, with frequent USA chants amid complaints about “desecrating our beautiful monuments” and “tearing down our statues.”
“If you want to save that beautiful heritage of ours, you’re lucky I’m President,” Trump said, describing defilements of statues of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Christopher Columbus, canonical figures amid historical reconsideration in recent weeks on American streets.
“If you burn the American flag, you go to jail for one year,” Trump suggested as a law, proposing a prohibition of “desecration.”
11 comments
BlueHeron
June 20, 2020 at 9:25 pm
So, I’m watching the rally. Sure, it is a flop.
I’m looking at the crowd. Very striking to me.
They seem less than gleeful.Deflated. Bored maybe and definitely low energy.
A few hoots and hollers here and there but not even close to what we
have been used to seeing at previous Trump rallies.
That said, the Boogaloo boys (confirmed) and other “groups” are open carrying now into a
smallish crowd of BLM protesters.
Will be a long night in Tulsa.
Ivanka
June 20, 2020 at 10:32 pm
TRUMP has a STAFF INFECTION. Low “Teeth” turnout in many trump supporters. The reason for conservatives not wanting to wear masks is that conservatives have bad breath and with the mask on they smell their own breath. The reason for the Republican bad breath is the stream of constant BS coming out their mouth. Studies also showed Republicans don’t wash their hands. Liberals are cleaner, leaner, and use science. Trump refused the Face mask given to him officially because it was a Diaper. It had “Pampers” printed on it. Secretary Mike Poopeeo’s had Kotex written on it, afterall Trump said he’s in love with Xi and his positive testing “Gina”. Guncowards from the Right-Wing radical “Booger group” had a nose to pick with trump attendees. They all sported Concealed Coward permits. Attorney General Roseanne Barr gassed rally supporters wearing red communist hats & clothing chanting Make Amerika Sick Again as they erected a statue of General David Duke.
Dan Lanske
June 20, 2020 at 9:28 pm
lol turnout flop? not even close. Watch the rally on RSBN on YouTube. They actually show the crowd. not an empty seat in the house.
Straight up lies from biased FloridaPolitics.com again
BlueHeron
June 20, 2020 at 9:46 pm
Dan, Dan, Dan.
Before the President even got there he complained about the reduced crowd.
The outside venue was taken down. Not enough people.
Inside, the venue holds 19K people. Perhaps it was half full, maybe 10K?
Almost the entire upper level was empty. That would be all of the empty blue colored seats.
I’m switching around channels and it confirms it to me. The crowd behind him is packed and fired up. Despite my previous comments, it seems that Trump has kicked it into gear and the crowd is loving it.
He is at his first rally in a long time and he seems happy to be there.
The crowd behind him is packed and fired up. Despite my previous comments, it seems that Trump has kicked it into gear and the crowd is loving it.
But, mark my words that rage tweets can be expected and perhaps even 1 or more campaign folks are fired.
We can disagree on policy and other things but let’s not have a “crowd size” conversation.
Enjoy the rally.
Ocean Joe
June 20, 2020 at 10:34 pm
Was the stadium half full, or half empty? It was definitely half-hearted.
How do temperature checks identify the asymptomatic? All those folks without masks: “SAD!”
BlueHeron
June 20, 2020 at 9:30 pm
So, all anecdotal but the possibility exists that the campaign got played to a certain degree by people requesting tickets who had no intention of ever attending. Hopefully a lot of his supporters put health over the rally and stayed home.
Forgive my snark but if he did, in fact, get played by A LOT of “unknown persons”…
wicked BURN!
Adam Stone
June 21, 2020 at 7:17 am
Over 500,000 watched the rally live on YouTube. Hack A.G. Gancarski left that little fact out.
SS
June 21, 2020 at 8:14 pm
so less than half who watched on youtube then trump claimed were going to attend?
Amazing
RICHARD L COLMAN SR
June 21, 2020 at 8:23 am
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/z0ix7/til_the_boyscouts_burn_the_most_us_flags_in_the/
Sonja Fitch
June 21, 2020 at 9:17 am
Laughing til I cried! Wtf was that Tulsa rally about? The goptrump cult sociopath racist sexist liar leader Trump! May god have mercy on their pathetic lives!
SS
June 21, 2020 at 8:15 pm
so trump blames thugs and fake news? is he blaming himself?
Comments are closed.