Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:28 pm
According to the fire marshall, an Orlando, FL venue that holds 10,000 was a quarter to a third full, just moments before Donald Trump’s rally was set to begin.
Ashley Killough of CNN tweeted a picture of the scene moments before the rally was set to begin:
Lots of empty space at Trump rally in Orlando few min before start. Fire marshal says capacity is 10k & it's a quarter to a third full now pic.twitter.com/NuyWBeUeOv
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— Ashley Killough (@KilloughCNN) November 2, 2016
As you can see they packed the crowd in up front near the stage to make the venue look more full:
Couple more shots of the crowd from closer to the stage at Trump's Orlando rally pic.twitter.com/MeZfWHHF0a
— Ashley Killough (@KilloughCNN) November 2, 2016
See all that green space? That is what a dying presidential campaign that is losing looks like. It is a political fact of life that dying presidential campaigns see their crowds drop off in the final days of the campaign. It happened to John McCain in 2008. It happened to Mitt Romney in 2012, and it is happening to Donald Trump in 2016.
Republican Congressional leaders have already begun planning how they are going to handle a Hillary Clinton presidency. The election is far from over, but while Clinton continues to draw full houses wherever she goes, Trump’s crowd size has been dropping off for weeks.
In the 2016 election, the national media polls have been more of a reflection of the tone of the media coverage that a candidate is receiving than public opinion.
The Trump campaign has all the hallmarks of a losing effort. The dwindling crowds tell the story of a defeated campaign that is limping towards the finish line.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
