4 reasons Trump's big comeback rally in Tulsa was two-thirds empty

Trump in Tulsa
(Image credit: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)

President Trump, publicly fixated on crowd sizes, looked out "in horror" at "the endless rows of empty blue seats" before taking the stage Saturday night at Tulsa's Bank of Oklahoma Center, The New York Times reports. Fewer than 6,200 ticket holders had showed up at the 19,000-seat arena, according to Tulsa's fire marshal.

"Trump's mood had improved" by the end of the rally, the Times reports, but he arrived back at the White House "with a defeated expression on his face, holding a crumpled red campaign hat in one hand. Exactly what went wrong was still being dissected on Sunday." Here are four factors that likely played a role:

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.