Indicted felon and repeat offender Donald Trump’s fans, desperate to stem the flood of defectors from his campaign as his multiple criminal cases and continued obstruction fester, have reverted to the habit of flat-out lying about crowd sizes again.
Fox News touted a figure of 80,000 to 100,000 people at a beachside rally in Wildwood, New Jersey on Saturday, citing a city official who had seen “dozens” of events at the same spot. Media outlets are largely citing that range, which is impressive, but not impressive enough for Roger Stone who had to use a false photo to claim a bigger crowd, but Twitter caught up to him:
Yeah , New Jersey is in play for @realDonaldTrump. Could Joe Biden draw a crowd like this? pic.twitter.com/0mYkYx6fQc
— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) May 12, 2024
While the peak crowd was impressive–though likely under the 80,000 cited because it was held on a public beach–the dedication of the crowd was underwhelming, with multiple sources reporting crowds clearing out long before Trump had finished speaking. By the end, the crowds in front of the cameras–the die-hards–remained, but the rest had already bugged out.
Trump is still speaking in Wildwood but much of the crowd has left. It’s cold and he’s been speaking 90 minutes. This whole area was full of people when Trump started. pic.twitter.com/r75Gwhwhf1
— Zac Anderson (@zacjanderson) May 11, 2024