Former Republican President—and convicted felon—Donald Trump's obsession with crowd size became well known when he freaked out and lied about the crowds that turned up for his January 2017 inauguration.
Bizarrely, Trump and members of his administration repeatedly lied about his inauguration crowd versus the crowds for Democratic President Barack Obama's two inaugurations.
Expecting photographic proof—side by side comparisons of Obama's 2009 crowd versus the 2017 turnout—to force Trump and his spokespeople to backtrack on their false claims, instead Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway stated their crowd size lies were "alternative facts."
Since then, Trump has made numerous outrageous claims about his popularity.
In August, Trump claimed his January 6, 2021 MAGA rally—that incited the violent attack on the United States Capitol—was better attended than Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 civil rights March On Washington. Trump's rally was attended by about 10,000 people whereas King's civil rights march drew about 250,000.
With such an obvious Trump trigger, the Harris-Walz 2024 campaign took aim with an ad featuring former President Obama.
You can see the ad here:
- YouTubeyoutu.be
The ad—slated to air on Fox News on Tuesday—features excerpts from President Obama's speech at the recent Democratic National Convention. The ad is deliberately airing to coincide with the first presidential debate between Trump and Democratic Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
The 44th President told the jubilant DNC crowd:
"Here is a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago."
"There’s the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes."
President Obama then gestured with his hands—to the great amusement of the crowd—in much the same way a fisherman might describe his latest catch.
The ad includes clips of small, bored looking crowds at some of Trump’s rallies accompanied by the sound of crickets. It juxtaposes those images with footage of an enthusiastic crowd at a Harris rally.
In a statement from the Harris-Walz campaign, spokesman Michael Taylor said:
"Trump spends a lot of time concerned about his crowd sizes, but the American people are far more concerned about which candidate will make their lives better—and it’s not the guy running on the Project 2025 agenda."
"Tonight’s debate will present the stark choice Americans will face at the ballot box: between Vice President Harris who is fighting for the people to make our lives better and the guy who can’t seem to stop obsessing about himself and the size of his crowds."
People felt the ad would be very effective.
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The ad is airing nationally as well as locally in West Palm Beach—near Mar-a-Lago—and Philadelphia—site of Tuesday’s presidential debate.
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