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).
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
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.
-
Today's political cartoons - November 2, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - anti-fascism, early voter turnout, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
North Korea tests ICBM, readies troops in Ukraine
Speed Read Thousands of North Korean troops are likely to join Russian action against Ukraine
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Women take center stage in campaign finale
Speed Read Harris and Trump are trading gender attacks in the final days before the election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Supreme Court allows purge of Virginia voter rolls
Speed Read Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is purging some 1,600 people from state voter rolls days before the election
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Empowered' Steve Bannon released from prison
Speed Read Bannon was set free a week before Election Day and quickly returned to his right-wing podcast to promote Trump
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Canada accuses top Modi ally of directing Sikh attacks
Speed Read Indian Home Minister Amit Shah was allegedly behind a campaign of violence and intimidation targeting Sikh separatists
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Harris makes closing case in huge rally at DC's Ellipse
Speed Read The Democratic nominee asked voters to "turn the page" on Trump's "division" and "chaos"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'I am not a Nazi,' Trump says amid MSG rally fallout
Speed Read Trump and his campaign are attempting to stem the fallout from comments made by speakers at Sunday's rally
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published