Is Donald Trump downsizing his venues? What we know

A user on

User @MikeSington, a former Hollywood executive and frequent Trump critic, wrote on Sunday on The post was accompanied by an image showing a packed room full of supporters.

The post had been viewed 889,300 times as of Monday morning.

Trump appears to be shrinking the venues of his rallies due to dwindling crowds. Today his rally in Erie, Pennsylvania took place virtually in a conference room. pic.twitter.com/3SQDbYpFNV

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) September 29, 2024

The event took place at the Bayfront Convention Center, which advertises a theater capacity of 4,000 seats.

Right-wing broadcasting networka channel dedicated to livestreaming Trump rallies posted a video on X showing a crowd of thousands lining up outside the venue.

Newsweek Trump’s campaign emailed for comment.

Where else has Trump spoken lately?

On Saturday, Trump spoke to a crowd of about 300 people in a high school auditorium in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, with several hundred more outside not allowed in, reports said Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Trump was originally scheduled to attend a larger outdoor rally at an airport in Wisconsin on Saturday. The rally was moved to the Prairie du Chien venue because the Secret Service did not have the manpower to secure the venue like the United Nations [U.N.] The general meeting took place in New York, NBC News and CBS News reported.

On Friday he spoke at the 1,200-seat Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan, and on Thursday he spoke at the Moscak Group Facility in Mint Hill, North Carolina, a production facility that WSCOTV described as an “intimate event” in front of a few hundred followers.

On Thursday he spoke at the Johnny Mercer Theater in the Savannah Civic Center, Georgia, with a capacity of 2,524, and on Wednesday he spoke at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex in Indiana, Pennsylvania, with a capacity of 5,000. Local newspaper The Republican Herald reported that 5,000 people were present, with another 7,000 outside.

How big have the venues been in the past?

Trump has held rallies at much larger venues in the past, including July 20 at the 12,000-seat Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, August 17 at the 10,000-seat Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barr, Pennsylvania, and the 19,000-seat Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on August 23.

Trump has long cited the size of his rallies as evidence of his popularity and has been criticized for sometimes inflating attendance by thousands.

Safety concerns

After gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate Trump at an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July, the Secret Service asked him to hold future rallies indoors because of concerns about future assassination attempts.

Most of his rallies since then have been held indoors, but some have also taken place outdoors, with Trump seated behind bulletproof glass.

Accusations of empty seats and people leaving in the middle of speeches

During the Sept. 10 presidential debate in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Vice President Kamala Harris accused Trump of giving boring speeches that his supporters stopped midway through. Trump denied this claim.

Since then, critics have regularly published videos of Trump supporters supposedly walking while he is still speaking; His speeches usually last longer than an hour. Other critics posted footage showing empty seats at larger indoor events near the end of his rallies.

Financial difficulties

This year, four US cities are seeking more than 700,000 donations from Trump’s campaign to reimburse rallies they helped stage between 2016 and 2019. All say they have outstanding bills for the campaign.

In June 2019, the Center for Public Integrity released an investigation that found that 10 city departments sought at least $841,219 from the Trump campaign in compensation for expenses, such as policing, they incurred at rallies. The list includes: Tucson, Arizona; Eau Claire, Wis.; Erie, Pa.; Lebanon, Ohio; and Burlington, Vermont.

The ongoing demands for payments related to these past rallies come at a difficult time financially for the Trump campaign, as Federal Election Commission filings show it is being significantly outspent by Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign. In July, the Democrat raised $204.5 million compared to Trump’s $47.5 million. The vice president’s team ended the month with a balance of $219.7 million, while the Republican candidate had $151.3 million.

Where should he speak next?

This week, Trump is scheduled to speak at the 800-seat Discovery World Event Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the 10,800-seat Crown Complex in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and on Saturday he will return to Butler Farm in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he survived in July Assassination attempt. Butler Farm is an outdoor venue where an estimated 20,000 people attended the July rally.

Diploma

It appears that Trump is holding rallies at both smaller and larger venues in key swing states. His return to Butler Farm suggests that the Republican presidential candidate will hold some major events in the run-up to the election.