The Daily Populous Tuesday November 5th, 2024 night edition
Authored by newsweek.com and submitted by meadowmarvel

As former President Donald Trump kicked off his four-rally tour across three states on Monday in Raleigh, North Carolina, many seats sat empty in the 5,000-seat J.S. Dorton Arena, marking the start of his final campaign push.

Trump addressed his supporters in a 90-minute speech, covering familiar topics like his proposed tough immigration policies. He mentioned potential tariffs on Mexico if it doesn't assist with border control and aired grievances against his Democratic opponents.

Empty seats were evident at the rally, with social media users and Vice President Kamala Harris' Rapid Response team highlighting them despite Trump's frequent boasts about crowd sizes.

Reporter: There are many empty seats at one of Trump’s final rallies. I can't tell you exactly why, but in this final week, we have seen far smaller crowds for Trump. For the first time since 2015, we’ve been looking around and questioning why the crowd sizes have been less than… pic.twitter.com/cRCkvgcHoN — Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) November 4, 2024

In North Carolina, Trump kicked off his marathon final day of campaigning, calling the state "ours to lose." His schedule includes stops in Pennsylvania—one of the most critical states on the electoral map—with rallies planned in Reading and Pittsburgh before Election Day.

However, while the former president has frequently boasted about filling arenas with enthusiastic crowds, as he nears the end of his third presidential campaign, his crowds have been smaller than he claims.

On Saturday in Greensboro, North Carolina, Trump closed off the upper section of an arena that Harris had filled. The lower section wasn't fully occupied, either. At his final stop in Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum, large sections on both sides of the stage remained empty.

Crowd sizes became a sensitive topic for Trump after Harris, aiming to provoke him during their September debate, referenced reports of supporters allegedly leaving his rallies early.

People hold signs before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at the J.S. Dorton Arena on November 4 in Raleigh, North Carolina. With one day left before Election Day, Trump... People hold signs before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at the J.S. Dorton Arena on November 4 in Raleigh, North Carolina. With one day left before Election Day, Trump is campaigning in the battleground states of North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan. More Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

"People start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom," she said, a comment that triggered a fiery response from Trump that night and has since become a recurring theme in his rallies.

On Thursday at a benefit with former Fox host Tucker Carlson in Glendale, Arizona, Trump spoke to his supporters, he revisited Harris' debate remark about people supposedly leaving his events "out of exhaustion and boredom."

"When that sleazebag said during the debate, 'Oh, your rallies aren't well-attended and people leave'—they don't leave, and they're packed. We can't find venues big enough," Trump said. "I told her, 'No, no, the rallies are the biggest in history, just like this one. We've never had an empty seat, and nobody leaves early.'

"If I ever saw people leaving, you know what I'd do? I'd say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, we're gonna make America great again, goodbye!' and everyone would be happy. But we don't need to do that—nobody leaves. It's a lovefest. It's never happened before."

LadySiren on November 4th, 2024 at 19:32 UTC »

So, that's Dorton Arena (aka "The Pringle") in the photo. It's located at the NC State Fairgrounds and is not big in any way, shape, or form. That he couldn't even pack the Pringle is pretty laughable, especially for someone so absolutely concerned with crowd (and other) sizes.

TheInfiniteEric on November 4th, 2024 at 19:25 UTC »

Oh look, finally something actually good from Newsweek. What a coincidence.

Tokie-Dokie on November 4th, 2024 at 19:22 UTC »

Maybe watching an old man shit his pants while staring at the walls and shuffling to YMCA for an hour isn't quite the draw it used to be.