Trump Claims On Twitter His Florida Rally Was ‘Packed To The Rafters’ – Photos Of Empty Seats Vs. Full Arena
President Donald Trump took to the stage at the Pensacola Bay Center on Friday, December 8, to speak to attendees at his campaign-style rally in Florida. By the morning of Saturday, December 9, Trump took to Twitter – as seen in the below tweet – to boast about the “GREAT EVENING” he had with his supporters inside the arena that was “packed to the rafters,” according to Trump. POTUS wrote about the loud crowd that was “loving and really smart.”
However, some Twitter users began posting photos such as those seen below as proof that Trump’s rally wasn’t “packed to the rafters” as Trump had claimed on Twitter. Memories of Trump’s alleged inflated inauguration crowd claims began to resurface. As reported by Raw Story, Trump began his crowd-size debates by tweeting about a “big crowd expected today in Pensacola” on Friday morning. Trump held his rally mere minutes away from the Alabama border as he implored the crowd to vote for Roy Moore.
Moore is the controversial subject of Tuesday’s special election for the Alabama senate seat, which was vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sexual assault allegations against Moore have brought backlash against Trump’s support for Roy, as reported by ABC News.
GREAT EVENING last night in Pensacola, Florida. Arena was packed to the rafters, the crowd was loud, loving and really smart. They definitely get what’s going on. Thank you Pensacola!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017
Photos like the following ones have begun to appear in the reply section of Trump’s tweet, asking him if they represent images of his “packed to the rafters” and “really smart” claims.
.@DaveWeigel @WashingtonPost put out a phony photo of an empty arena hours before I arrived @ the venue, w/ thousands of people outside, on their way in. Real photos now shown as I spoke. Packed house, many people unable to get in. Demand apology & retraction from FAKE NEWS WaPo! pic.twitter.com/XAblFGh1ob
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017
Trump’s Twitter followers disputed his “packed to the rafters” claims by showing empty rafters, although it isn’t clear at what point prior to the rally beginning some of the photos were taken. Either way, the photos seem to fly in the face of Trump’s claims about the crowd size, because the photos were taken apparently after the crowd was allowed to come inside the arena, without showing lines of folks attempting to fill the many empty seats.
Other people are posting photos and videos like those below, which purport to show that Trump’s rally allegedly really was “packed to the rafters.”
.@POTUS @FoxNews @TuckerCarlson @seanhannity @jessebwatters SO FULL they had to turn ppl away. People were still pouring in when I video taped this piece. ?????? #MAGA #He’sDaBomb pic.twitter.com/PSHgHgHpsJ
— ? Sunshine State ? (@usarocks_c) December 9, 2017
— ? Sunshine State ? (@usarocks_c) December 9, 2017
Twitter users like those below show a fuller crowd, with people sitting in the rafters.
Yeah. I was there. You obviously were not. pic.twitter.com/jdKMVe7vuv
— Eric Thomas (@HappyWookiee) December 9, 2017
Videos like those below show the crowd size as the videographer pans the room during Trump’s speech.
