It might be …
He’s lying about this, of course. He says his crowd was yuge. But it wasn’t and it makes you wonder if maybe people are finally getting tired of his act:
Former President Donald Trump‘s Georgia rally on Saturday failed to draw the number of supporters he has been accustomed to in the southern state, according to multiple journalists covering the event.
Trump held the event in support of several of Georgia’s Republican primary candidates in Commerce, Georgia, which is about an hour drive northeast of Atlanta. While the former president has regularly seen tens of thousands attend his events in the state, as well as other states across the country, journalists assessed that the crowd size was underwhelming this weekend.
“I’ve covered more than two dozen Trump rallies around the nation. This is the smallest crowd I’ve seen at a rally of his in Georgia since he won the 2016 election—significantly smaller than the crowd in Perry in September,” Greg Bluestein, a political reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweeted.
Stephen Fowler, a political reporter at Georgia Public Broadcasting, shared a similar assessment.
“It’s almost time for Trump to speak here in Georgia and there’s probably no more than 5,000 people here, the smallest Trump rally I’ve ever covered here. Way less than the Perry rally in 2021 (closer to 10k) and nowhere close to 2020’s 20-30k+,” the journalist wrote in a Twitter post, sharing photos as well.
Trump spokesperson Liz Harrington disputed the journalists’ assessments in a Sunday morning email to Newsweek. “This is totally false. Well over 20,000 were in attendance,” Harrington said. In a second email she added: “Official estimates are between 25,000 and 35,000 people.”
Trump issued a similar statement on Sunday morning as well. “We had a massive crowd last night in Georgia, but as usual, the Fake News Media absolutely refuses to show it,” the former president said. “People are estimating 25,000 to 35,000 people.”
Newsweek contacted local police to ask for their estimates of the crowd size, but did not immediately receive a response. Trump supporters on social media described the crowd as “massive,” “huge” and “fired up.”
Fowler also reported that people in attendance began “streaming out” even as Trump was still speaking. “People keep leaving during Trump speech. It’s cold and windy and there’s not much enthusiasm,” he wrote. He also shared photos from different times during the event, showing that the venue got emptier as the former president spoke.
The journalist’s comment about “enthusiasm” seemed to be backed up by a correspondent for Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN) ahead of the event. As the correspondent, Mike D. or “Mikenificent,” interviewed people lining up to attend the rally, he commented live: “Alright, not as much energy from the crowd as I was hoping for, but we’re happy that you’re tuned in.”
Bluestein shared a video clip that also appeared to back up what Fowler reported. In the clip, rally attendees can be seen leaving as Trump is speaking. “Folks are starting to file out,” the journalist tweeted shortly after 9 p.m. ET.