One of Donald Trump’s favorite and most frequent boasts is about his rallies, and the size of the crowds he pulls in to see him speak.
Over the past months the former president has seemingly become more and more obsessed with attendance, as well as his ratings and other optics – so much so that it has become a target of jabs and jokes by the Democratic party.
However despite his claim that “nobody” leaves his rallies, made at a recent town hall event in Flint, Michigan, it seems that that is not quite true. In fact, scores of punters have been known, and seen on live broadcasts, to be leaving the events early.
Trump has appeared to become more frustrated and fixated with crowd size ever since Kamala Harris needled him over it during their presidential debate, when she suggested people leave early out of “exhaustion and boredom.”
“She said people start leaving, people don’t go to her rallies there’s no reason to go,” Trump shot back, while Harris laughed silently. “People don’t leave my rallies, we have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics.”
However, interviews conducted by the Washington Post of various supporters leaving the rallies, found that among the things affecting their decision were Trump’s tardiness, the length of his speeches, and his rhetoric.
At a recent rally in Las Vegas, a Post reporter standing by the door counted more than 200 people leaving in the first 20 minutes. According to the outlet one attendee said they were still pro-Trump, but that he would have said “You’re fired” if anyone else had been as late as he was. The ex-president was reportedly an hour late taking the stage.
Anastasia Bennett, 22, told the outlet that she had become tired of the former president’s constant insults – she now intends to vote for Harris.
“It was the insults and just being an hour late,” she said.
At a rally in Tucson, Arizona Carlos Chaboya, 65, said that he had arrived for the rally at 8.30am and was still one of the last to be let in. He had to leave early because he had to fix the internet for his daughter at home.
“I gotta get it back up for her, so I’m gonna go do that,” Chaboya, who is retired, told the Post.
Other guests have expressed frustration that even after driving long distances to see Trump speak and waiting for hours, they are still denied entry.
The former president has seemed undeterred by concerns of his length, and has reportedly ignored advice to cut down on time by advisors. “They want a show. They want two hours,” he previously told an ally, who spoke to the Post on condition of anonymity.
However, some within the Trump campaign are still onboard with the president’s rhetoric around his speeches.
“The fake news media never wants to report the truth about President Trump’s rallies: they are the biggest political events in history,” Karoline Leavitt, a Trump campaign spokeswoman, said in a statement.
“Everywhere President Trump goes, thousands of supporters show up to see him, waiting in line for hours to hear him deliver his uplifting message to make America strong, safe, and wealthy again.”
