Dr. Oz Rally Sees 'Half the Crowd' Leave as Trump Still Speaking: Reporter

Authored by newsweek.com and submitted by BelleAriel
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A special appearance by former President Donald Trump appeared to have the opposite of its intended effect at a recent midterm campaign event in Pennsylvania for the likes of Dr. Mehmet Oz and others.

Oz, best known as a medical television host, is currently running for an open U.S. Senate seat in the state as a Republican. His Democratic opponent is Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, with the race being among the tightest and most unpredictable in the upcoming midterm elections.

On Saturday, Trump appeared at a rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, just outside Pittsburgh. Speaking from the tarmac of the Arnold Palmer International Airport, the former president voiced his support of Oz and Doug Mastriano, the Republican candidate for governor in Pennsylvania, both of whom he endorsed ahead of their primary victories.

According to Fabiola Galindo Sawao, a reporter covering the event, Trump at one point admonished the media for not turning "the cameras around" at such events to show the crowds that he supposedly draws at his rallies. Sawao did so, capturing a video that was not so flattering to Trump and the point he was attempting to make.

Trump complained that “the media never turn the cameras around” so I did and saw half the crowd at this PA rally had left thirty minutes before it ended pic.twitter.com/fd4RgMMbNB — Fabiola Galindo Sawao (@FabiGalindo) November 6, 2022

"Trump complained that 'the media never turn the cameras around' so I did and saw half the crowd at this PA rally had left thirty minutes before it ended," Sawao tweeted on Saturday night, alongside a video showing a diminished crowd.

As of Sunday morning, the clip had been viewed on Twitter less than 10,000 times. Despite the less-than-flattering crowd size, Sawao said she believes "what really matters is who shows up to vote" on Tuesday.

Conservative voices on Twitter had other takes however, noting the size of the crowd gathered for the rally. OANN reporter Daniel Baldwin shared a look at the line for the event from earlier in the afternoon, while another Twitter user, Vince Langman, shared a look at the crowd roughly 35 minutes before Sawao's video was taken.

Pennsylvania making an early STATEMENT just three days before Election Day.

Gigantic line at President Donald Trump’s rally in Latrobe. Tons of enthusiasm for @dougmastriano and @DrOz.

Do you think Joe Biden could ever draw a crowd like this?@OANN pic.twitter.com/ogz4Z6flTl — Daniel Baldwin (@baldwin_daniel_) November 5, 2022

Another massive crowd for the most loved President in the history of America in Pennsylvania tonight #TrumpRally#RedWaveComing pic.twitter.com/k51SGtwuJu — Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) November 6, 2022

Based on the timeline of all three posts, it is still possible, to Sawao's point, that attendees began to depart before Trump ended his speech, as the other tweets were from earlier in the day. It would also not be the first instance of crowds departing a recent event while the former president was still speaking.

In early October, Detroit Free Press reporter Paul Egan shared several tweets while covering a Trump rally in Michigan, noting that attendees seemed to be "streaming out" of the event while Trump was still talking.

"There's also been a steady stream of attendees heading for the exits since about the 15-minute mark of this now hour-long and ongoing speech," Egan tweeted. "Former President Trump said a few words about the [Michigan GOP] candidates and launched into familiar grievances. Trump did eventually return to the MI candidates, inviting #MIGOP Dixon, DePerno, and Karamo back up to say a few words. Trump also again bashed Gov Whitmer over policing, environmental issues, and more."

There's also been a steady stream of attendees heading for the exits since about the 15-minute mark of this now hour-long and ongoing speech. Former President Trump said a few words about the #MIGOP candidates and launched into familiar grievances #TrumpRally — Paul Egan (@paulegan4) October 2, 2022

Newsweek reached out to the Oz campaign and Trump's office for comment.

smittydoodle on November 6th, 2022 at 19:55 UTC »

Trump was in my town recently, and someone who went told me that he was disappointed by how much Trump talked about his media/PR problems instead of the candidate he was there to endorse.

kvossera on November 6th, 2022 at 19:25 UTC »

Better to leave early than be abandoned by trump in a field.

NegotiationDapper552 on November 6th, 2022 at 19:00 UTC »

https://twitter.com/FabiGalindo/status/1589072797783191554

This dude talks like a 7th grader. For real.