E-Paper
Donald Trump brutally ridiculed over Pennsylvania rally crowd size: 'Old man can't even…'
Former US President Donald Trump has been facing backlash over crowd size at his rally at Temple University's Liacouras Center.
Former US President Donald Trump has been facing backlash after videos showing a large number of open seats and entire upper level sections completely empty during his rally at Temple University's Liacouras Center went viral on social media.
Democratic Party activist Chris Jackson shared a video of Trump's Philadelphia rally on X, showing the upper seating tiers of the arena appearing empty.
“Look at all those empty seats in Philadelphia. Old man can't even fill a high school gym anymore. Sad,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Peter Henlein posted the same clip as he captioned the video as: “Here is a video of Trump at his rally tonight in swing state PA at Temple University's Liacouras Center, capacity 10,200. It's half empty. Zero attendees in the upper bowl.”
Mocking Trump, he said, it is “odd for a guy that brags about pulling 100k ppl in NJ and 30k in the Bronx.”
One X user shared the video of the venue that was recorded before the rally started.
“They got the entire back of the arena covered up with flags. The capacity at the Philly Trump rally is 10,206 and they're not getting anywhere near that.”
Trump faced similar criticism for a rally in the South Bronx, New York, in May. Following the event, the former president's spokesperson stated that 25,000 people attended the rally, but several journalists independently refuted this claim.
Since assuming the Republican presidential nomination for 2024 in March, Trump has been trying to build support through his high-profile rallies across the country, ahead of his anticipated rematch with President Joe Biden in November. Pennsylvania is a pivotal swing state that voted for Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016 and that Biden won in 2020.
Also Read: Rachel Morin murder: Donald Trump blasts Biden after illegal immigrant's arrest
Donald Trump blasts ‘crooked’ Joe Biden
Trump spoke extensively about crime during his speech, stating that Philadelphia has suffered more than any other community under the Biden administration.
"Under Crooked Joe, the City of Brotherly Love is being ravaged by bloodshed and crime."
Compared to the same period last year, there was a reduction of fifteen percent in violent crime between January and March, according to FBI data. This included fall 26.4 percent fall in homicides, 25.7 percent in rapes, and 12.5 percent in violent assaults.
The first of two planned debates between Trump and Biden is expected to take place in Atlanta on June 27 in advance of the November 5 elections.
On Saturday, Jake Traylor of NBC News reported that Trump informed reporters that he had chosen his running mate. Trump reportedly stated that he would "most likely" attend the debate on Thursday with his vice presidential pick.
