Trump grossly exaggerated the size of the crowd at his New Jersey rally, but the bigger problem for Republicans is that much of the crowd left in support of the former president.
Read about Ivanka Trump's plans to return to the White House The Daily
Â
USA Today's Zach Anderson posted a video of the scene while Trump was still speaking.
Trump is still speaking in Wildwood, but much of the audience has left. It's cold and he's been talking for 90 minutes. When President Trump took office, this area was packed with people. pic.twitter.com/r75Gwhwhf1
— Zach Anderson (@zacjanderson) May 11, 2024
Further evidence of the vanishing crowd:
Trump was speaking again after bringing others onto the stage, leaving the back section mostly empty. The sun was setting, the sea breeze was blowing, and it was getting cold. pic.twitter.com/560NwK47cL
— Aliya Schneider (@aliyareports) May 11, 2024
Video of crowd leaving while Trump is still speaking:
Trump is still giving speeches, but his audience is shrinking. People are walking back to the promenade. pic.twitter.com/gPSvZeDFgW
— Aliya Schneider (@aliyareports) May 11, 2024
Trump and his campaign held a rally next to the music festival. So it's debatable how much of the crowd was there to support Trump compared to the people who were on the beach and came to see what was going on and left.
The beach rally was another Trump gimmick to project the illusion of popularity.
The bigger problem for Trump and his party is that Trump's oldies tour can no longer have an audience. Long gone are the days when tens of thousands of people were captivated by Trump and stayed until the end of his hours-long campaign speeches.
Trump is almost in his 10th season in national politics, but his administration is stuck in a rut. This is a bigger problem than either the former president or his party wants to admit.
A special message from PoliticusUSA
If you are in a position to genuinely donate to help keep PoliticusUSA's doors open during a critical election year, please donate here.
We answer only to our readers, never compromise on our fundamental, core PoliticusUSA values, and we're honored to have put your interests first for 14 years.
Jason is the editor-in-chief. He is a White House correspondent and Congressional Correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason holds a bachelor's degree in political science. His graduate work focused on public policy and specialized in social reform movements.
Awards and professional membership
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association