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


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:
1. Overselling: Trump, campaign manager Brad Parscale, and allies bragged for days that more than a million people had reserved tickets for the rally.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"You never, ever brag about ticket reservations," writes HuffPost's Yashar Ali, explaining he ran big rallies in his "previous life in politics." You're "embarrassed if people don't show up," but "it also discourages attendance."
2. "TikTok Teens and K-Pop Stans": That's how the Times summarizes a mostly underground campaign on TikTok and Twitter, fueled by fans of Korean pop music, to prank Trump by reserving plausibly hundreds of thousands of rally tickets. "K-pop Twitter and Alt TikTok have a good alliance where they spread information amongst each other very quickly," said YouTuber Elijah Daniel, 26.
3. Trump fans were scared: Parscale disavowed responsibility for the no-shows, claiming "the fake news media warning people away from the rally because of COVID and protesters, coupled with recent images of American cities on fire, had a real impact." The only mainstream media outlet regularly showing footage of burning buildings is Fox News, and some people did leave before Trump arrived because "they did not want to be in the city after dark," The Washington Post's David Weigel reported. White House officials also speculated that real coronavirus concerns kept many older Trump fans away. Parscale and allies claimed protesters blocked the stadium entrance, though "reporters present said there were few protests," the Times notes.
4. Oklahoma is red but small: Given COVID-19 headwinds, Trump's campaign shouldn't have picked a state with just over a million registered Republicans, Ali argues. Parscale should have held Trump's comeback rally in Florida (4.8 million registered Republicans) or Texas (more than 6 million).
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Cytomegalovirus can cause permanent birth defects
The Explainer The virus can show no symptoms in adults
-
Summer in Seattle: Outdoor dining like nowhere else
Feature Featuring a patio with a waterfront view, a beer garden, and more
-
Ari Aster revisits the pandemic, Adam Sandler tees off again and Lamb Chop gets an origin story in July movies
the week recommends The month's film releases include 'Eddington,' 'Happy Gilmore 2' and 'Shari & Lamb Chop'
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities