The Trump re-election campaign is doubling down on its claims that concerns about protesters prevented people from attending President Trump's comeback rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday night, keeping attendance lower than anticipated.
Campaign manager Brad Parscale was particularly aggrieved by reports that TikTok users and K-Pop fans were behind the empty seats after they purposefully booked hundreds of free tickets to make sure the arena didn't fill up. Parscale instead blamed the turnout on "recent images of American cities on fire" and the media for instilling fear about protesters and the coronavirus. Mercedes Schlapp, a campaign spokeswoman, shared a similar point of view Sunday, telling Fox News' Chris Wallace that her own family members who live close to Tulsa were concerned about the protesters, although reports on the ground did not indicate protesters interfered with rallygoers.
It's no surprise the campaign is trying to blame poor attendance on external factors, considering Trump's rallies played a key role in his victorious 2016 campaign and and have remained central throughout his presidency. NBC News' Carol Lee told Chuck Todd on Sunday that they indeed may be Trump's "only play" right now in terms of his re-election campaign. Tim O'Donnell
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