Empty seats have become an increasingly common sight at recent Trump rallies

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Donald Trump has spent nearly a decade bragging about his crowds. Recently, the same boasts swathes of empty seats.

In his third presidential bid, Trump faces for the first time an opponent who is holding massive rallies of his own, drawing further attention to the fact that his crowds, no matter how enthusiastic, sometimes failed to fill large halls and often thinned out up when a spoke.

This weekend in North Carolina, the former president and GOP candidate spoke at the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, where the lower level of the 22,000-seat arena remained vacant and the upper level was completely blocked off.

“We had the largest rallies in the history of any country. Every rally is full of people,” he falsely claimed anyway. “There are no empty seats.”

It began on Monday, the eve of the election, in Raleigh, North Carolina, where a late arrival crowd came close to filling the hall but left several empty seats. In Reading, Pennsylvania, Trump took the stage at Santander Arena, where there were sections of empty seats in the 7,200-seat auditorium. As part of the campaign, a large American flag was hung at the back of the arena, blocking the view of several unfilled seating sections.

He then went to PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, where upper-level seating was again blocked off.

The former president’s crowds still numbered in the thousands and regularly roared when he spoke. But those scenes were in stark contrast to the biggest events that befell Democratic candidate Kamala Harris this fall, as well as the size and atmosphere of Trump’s crowds eight years ago when he first sought and won the presidency.

Of course, crowd size does not necessarily predict election outcomes. And his core supporters this year remain so committed that just a few days ago he filled Madison Square Garden in heavily Democratic New York.

Still, Trump drew smaller crowds in the final stages of the campaign than in previous races, especially during the primary campaign when his mass events became a political phenomenon. Trump’s crowds this fall also often dwindled as the former president’s lengthy speeches continued well into the second hour.

People routinely leave during his speech, sometimes in droves, after waiting several hours to be seated.

There are reasons why some people may feel tired.

Trump returned to the same battleground states repeatedly, sometimes speaking in the same places or even in the same places. Trump’s smaller audience in Greensboro, for example, arrived eight days after he campaigned in the same city.

He’s also often late, most recently in Traverse City, Michigan, after recording an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan three hours late.

But whatever the explanation, the former reality star and consummate showman clearly remains interested in the performative aspect of presidential politics and is clearly concerned that Harris, unlike Democrats Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020, can match and even surpass his signature campaign tactics. For example, Harris recently filled a large coliseum in Greensboro.

Democrats saw this dynamic as a way to get under Trump’s skin. Former President Barack Obama, the last national figure before Trump and Harris to make mass rallies a key part of their campaigns, noted Trump’s “weird obsession” with crowd size during his speech at the Democratic National Convention in August. Obama added mocking hand size gestures that recalled Trump’s remarks from his first campaign about hand sizes and the suggestion that they reflected his masculinity.

Harris cited crowd size during her lone debate with Trump, one of many times she pushed the former president off course during the 90-minute exchange. She urged people to attend Trump’s rallies to understand that his time is up.

On Monday night in Pittsburgh, Trump sharply criticized Beyoncé’s performance at Harris’ recent rally, which drew more than 30,000 people. The megastar introduced Harris in Houston, but she did not perform.

In the final days of the campaign, Harris participated in a campaign featuring numerous celebrities and pop stars, which culminated in a rally in Philadelphia featuring Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga. Meanwhile, the star of Trump’s show remains the former president.

In recent days, he has shown a wistful side to both rallies and the crowds that have visited him – no matter how large they may have been.

“I have one thing left,” he said in Pittsburgh, looking wistfully ahead to his evening event in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “And remember, rallying is the most exciting thing. There will never be such gatherings. This will never happen again.” ——

Barrow reported from Washington. Jonathan J. Cooper contributed from Phoenix.