Donald Trump took the stage in Clarksville, Tennessee on Saturday afternoon and spoke to something he can't stand: empty seats. Lots of them.
Video and photos from the F&M Bank Arena show entire sections of the venue sitting vacant while the president delivered his rally speech. New York Times reporter Shawn McCreesh posted footage of the barren rows on X, noting the event was happening "deep in the heart of Trump country." A Reuters photographer captured the same scene.
This is a deep red corner of Tennessee, right on the Kentucky line. If Trump can't fill an arena here, where can he?
Near the start of the rally, Trump griped about how the press covers his crowd sizes, a complaint he's been making more and more often. That's because the numbers keep telling a story he doesn't like. An analysis by The Daily Beast's investigative unit Punch Up found that Trump's recent rallies are being held in far smaller venues than during his first campaign, with crowds as much as 75 percent smaller.
Just days ago, Trump took to Truth Social to insist one of his recent arenas was completely packed, upper decks and all. The reporting says otherwise. In Mobile, Alabama, the New York Times documented large stretches of empty seats, with roughly 8,000 people turning out for a 10,000-seat basketball arena. Back in 2015, Trump drew more than 30,000 people to a football stadium in that same city.
That's not a slump. That's a collapse.
The enthusiasm is gone. The excuses are wearing thin. And no amount of Truth Social bluster can fill an empty arena.
