Video of People ‘Leaving Early' From Trump Rally Questioned
A viral video claiming to show attendees leaving early at a President Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Friday has sparked debate online.
On multiple occasions in the past, people have posted videos to X, formerly Twitter, claiming to show people leaving Trump rallies early. But the latest video has come under scrutiny, even from the president's critics.
Trump has long been known for his tendency to exaggerate crowd sizes at his rallies and public events, a pattern that dates back to his very first days in office.
The video, shared by the left-leaning account Patriot Takes, shows a group of four people appearing to exit Trump's rally in Pennsylvania on Friday before it had concluded.
However, viewers and commenters on social media quickly pointed out that the footage captures only a tiny fraction of the audience.
"I can't stand him, but come on, it was like four people," X user Rick Dorris wrote.
Several other observers suggested that the individuals might simply be stepping out for a restroom break or refreshments rather than leaving altogether.
Other images and videos from the same rally depict large crowds, reinforcing the notion that the majority of attendees stayed throughout the event.
There have, however, been instances of larger numbers of people leaving early from Trump rallies in the past. Last year, there were multiple reports and videos of noticeable early exits at various Trump events.
In one instance, a video posted to X appeared to show a small group of people leaving a Trump rally in November 2024.
Washington Examiner reporter Samantha-Jo Roth, who posted the video, wrote, "In case anyone is wondering, there are in fact people leaving Trump's rally early. To be fair, many of them have been here since the AM." The post accumulated over 22,000 views.
The host of ABC News' If You're Listening show Matt Bevan also shared videos from a Trump rally in Detroit, which he posted on November 1.
He wrote, "Went to a little event in Detroit. Despite Trump's claim that nobody leaves early, many people left early. From about 25 minutes into his speech, there was a steady stream."
In the comments, he added, "I should note, everyone in the room had been there for two hours before he came on."
He also wrote that Trump was scheduled to come on at 4:30 and came on at around 4:45, and "people started leaving about 5:10-5:15."
Meanwhile, in October 2024, former Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign shared a video on Truth Social of a Trump rally in Michigan, showing one crowded section and a larger empty area, mocking him over crowd size.
"Trump: No one else can fill this place up (The room is mostly empty)," the Harris campaign wrote.
Throughout the 2024 presidential campaign, rally crowd sizes and attendance were a point of contention between Trump and Harris, with the Republican frequently boasting about his turnout and jabbing Harris' while the then vice president countered by highlighting people leaving his rallies or empty sections. In September, The New York Times analyzed six rallies in August, finding that both candidates drew similar audience sizes.
The Times analysis also found that of those six rallies, Trump spoke four times as long as Harris, writing that the longer duration of his rallies could contribute to the higher number of people leaving early, as based on photographs.
The former president previously addressed the comments that supporters were appearing to leave his rallies early.
At an event with broadcaster Tucker Carlson in Glendale, Arizona, in October, Trump said, "They don't leave and they're really well-attended, we can't get places big enough."
In September, Trump also said to a rally crowd in Walker, Michigan, "The people that you see leaving-because nobody ever leaves, and when they do, I finish up quick, believe me."
One X user commented: "Even as a Trump hater, I think these kinds of posts are useless, as evidenced in Nov. 24. You couldn't find him filling any arena, yet he won. Focus on the issues themselves and don't let the chuds pretend they care about working class."
The White House has not yet commented on the video.
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