“Trump Thinks His Supporters Are Stupid”: Donald Trump Blatantly Lies About Crowd Size at Florida Rally

Michelle MeyerNov 14, 2023

Minute Read

Whether it’s about his self-described “stable genius” status or his alleged business acumen, Donald Trump loves to brag. Recently, the former president boasted about the crowd size at a Florida rally… but videos showed empty seats.

Above the Debates

The rally in question took place on the same night that Trump’s fellow Republican presidential nomination hopefuls fought each other in a debate. As with the first two, the former president thought he was above the debate and declined to take part.

The Lowest Rated Debate

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Instead of giving his fellow Republicans a chance to question him and his policies, Trump held a rally in Hialeah, a Miami suburb. “The last debate was the lowest-rated debate in the history of politics. So… so therefore, do you think we did the right thing by not participating?” he asked the crowd.

Tens of Thousands

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Trump continued: “Somebody, one of the dumber ones, said, ‘He doesn’t have the courage to stand up!’ Well, listen. I’m standing in front of tens of thousands of people right now – and it’s on television. That’s a lot harder to do than a debate!”

A False Claim

Trump’s “tens of thousands” claim was particularly interesting given that the venue, according to The Associated Press, can only hold up to around 5,200 people. Moreover, videos were shared around the internet showing numerous empty seats.

Camping Outside the Venue

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On top of reporting on the venue’s capacity, The Associated Press said that “sections of the outdoor football stadium remained empty.” This was despite the fact that some Trump supporters felt it was necessary to camp outside in the days prior to the event.

A Possible Misunderstanding

While it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that Trump’s “tens of thousands” claim was a malicious lie, it’s entirely possible that the now-criminal defendant simply didn’t know that “tens of thousands” means 10,000 as a minimum and, instead, thought it meant “a lot.”

A Conspiracy Theorist’s Words

Laura Loomer denied that there were any empty seats at the rally. “Fake news! The place is packed, you pathetic miscreants,” she said, failing to produce any evidence to back up her claim. Loomer’s Wikipedia page describes her as a “far-right and anti-Muslim political activist, White nationalist, conspiracy theorist, and internet personality.”

Donald Trump’s Popularity

There have been a fair few debates about the size of Trump’s rallies in recent weeks. Despite this, polls still point to him being immensely popular among GOP voters. On average, the former president has the support of 56.5% of Republicans. DeSantis is trailing behind him at 13.9%.

The Internet’s Response

News of the former president’s inaccurate bragging was shared across the internet and people rushed to comment sections to give their views on the matter. One individual said: “Defendant Dump doesn’t know where he is, who he beat or lost to in any election, and couldn’t recognize the size of anything to save his life.”

Trump’s History of Lies

Another commenter wrote: “So he says it is harder to stand in front of a crowd and lie than it is to participate in a debate? It should be easy for him to lie to a crowd after all the practice he has had.”

So, So Delusional

Others called Trump and his supporters “delusional.” One such individual said: “Why do we never see a 360-degree angle of his rallies? The man and the few people getting paid to stand behind him are so delusional. As we know, it’s not coming out of his pocket… but his cult’s!”

Trump in Prison

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One person imagined a future in which Trump is incarcerated: “The next big brag! ‘My cell bars are the best ever. They are lined with gold and were saved for me personally… and my cell is the biggest and very private except for my personal butler who puts me through my daily exercises.’”

Donald Trump’s Intelligence

Plenty of commenters questioned the former president’s intelligence. “Is anyone surprised that an empty head speaks to empty seats?” one person said. “Yeah, I doubt he can count past 100. He can’t comprehend numbers,” another added.

Unhinged Rant Fests

Quite a few people speculated about whether or not Trump pays people to attend his rallies. “He must be running out of money to pay people to show up to his unhinged rant fests,” one commenter wrote. “The people behind him have definitely been paid to be there,” another claimed.

A Lack of Enthusiasm

Others pointed out that the rally’s attendees didn’t seem particularly happy or enthusiastic in videos: “From the looks on the faces of some of the attendees, they were paid to be there. Not a lot of real enthusiasm.”

Trump Is Scared

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Some people called the former president out for refusing to attend debates: “Criminal defendant Trump is afraid to participate with his peers as he knows that there are no good answers for what he did to our country.”

The Other Candidates Would Destroy Trump

Somewhat echoing the aforementioned commenter, another person said: “He doesn’t debate because he doesn’t know anything about politics. They would destroy him, even the worst of them, and he knows it and he’s scared. He knows that he’d drop in the polls if he debated… so he doesn’t.”

Taking Advantage of Supporters

Another commenter wrote: “Trump thinks his supporters are stupid and he tries to take advantage of that. He knew he was exaggerating the number but he also knew that his supporters wouldn’t question it. Every time he opens his mouth, he calls them stupid and they don’t even realize it.”