Several Supporters ‘Walk Out’ in the Middle of Trump’s NJ Campaign Speech: Reporter

While former President Donald Trump was still addressing the crowd at a campaign appearance in New Jersey, on Saturday, 11 May, a reporter watched a significant chunk of his MAGA supporters exiting the event. As the crowd got thinner and thinner, the reporter noted that the back section was almost empty. Ironically, Trump boasted about the crowd size during his address, demanding cameras turn to face the crowd to capture the number of attendees, as per Raw Story.

His speech, amusing for its many embarrassing gaffes—such as confusing the names of previous presidents, mixing up Taiwan and Beijing, and believing that O.J Simpson was there at his rally—was delivered in New Jersey, where most polls indicate strong support for Trump's Democratic opponent and current President, Joe Biden.

Journalist Aliya Schneider of the Philadelphia Inquirer, reported that Trump's supporters started to leave before the ex-president wrapped up his address. "Trump is still speaking, but the crowd has been thinning. People have been walking out back to the boardwalk," she wrote on X, formerly Twitter, attaching a video of the crowd dispersing. "The back section of the crowd is noticeably smaller," she added.

"During his speech, Trump said he wished the press wasn’t here (facing him) when talking about the large size of the crowd. He urged the press to turn their cameras around to the crowd. The crowd booed and gestured toward the press section," Schneider described. "People have also left the front seating section," the journalist wrote, adding, "Trump is speaking again after bringing others on stage with him and the back section has largely emptied. It’s gotten cold with the sundown and the beach breeze."

The Meidas Touch Network slammed Trump on X: "This event has quickly become a total failure for Trump. A huge miscalculation." A user joked, "They were only paid for a 'specific' amount of time." Another user opined, "That’s quite a few people leaving. And Stinky can’t stop them from leaving this time like he’s done at indoor venues when he could lock the doors, so no one could leave once the rally got started."

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, "Several rows of chairs are dotted with open seats in the main stage area before the stage. Noticing his exiting supporters, Trump claimed no one was leaving early." The outlet quoted Trump as he claimed, "I haven't noticed anybody leaving. Nobody's leaving...They never leave. When they start leaving, it's time for me to hang it up."

Two months ago, on February 22, Trump tried to hide another low turnout at an event with the National Religious Broadcasters. Hundreds of empty chairs were allegedly taken out in advance of the ex-president's visit to a convention of evangelical broadcasters in Nashville, Tennessee, to conceal the fact that his turnout was surprisingly very low.