Donald Trump's Ego Crushed By An Unexpected Source (& It's On Video)

Perhaps it's the result of all those years as the proud owner of the Miss Universe pageant, but Donald Trump has a peculiar fixation with popularity. He once referred to himself as "your all-time favorite president" (per CNN) and even suggested that he's more beloved than George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. That's why Kamala Harris's debate jab about Trump's rally audience still sticks in his craw. She suggested his fans have become so tired of the divisive politician's meandering speeches about windmills, Hannibal Lecter, and election fraud that they leave the events super early. And yet, Trump continues to double down on the crowd-size claims, consistently trying to prove the vice president wrong. 

Scientist and podcaster Houston Wade took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share a clip of the former commander in chief speaking at a rally on November 2, 2024. "We've had the biggest rallies in history of any country," he boasted. "And every rally's full, you don't have any seats that are empty." Trump added that an event earlier in the day was such "a beauty" that "we could have filled that place up 20 times." Just then, the cameraperson pulled the focus off him and panned to the rest of the arena, showing a totally empty upper deck.

Trump: "we always have huge crowds and never any empty seats."

Cameraman: *pans camera* pic.twitter.com/YeriuRjuFR

— RockGod (@TheHoustonWade) November 3, 2024

It didn't end there either. As the Republican presidential candidate continued raving about speaking before packed houses in Virginia, the camera scanned the lower seats of the venue. While the sections close to the stage were all full, others were either partly or completely empty, and a number of attendees were caught heading up the stairs toward the exit. It was reminiscent of Trump's speech at Madison Square Garden, where several news outlets also captured images of vacant seats. 

Of the 180-second clip of Trump's speech shared on X, only 18 seconds actually showed the controversial candidate. The camera operator spent the rest of the time panning around the empty sections of the arena. "This cameraman is trolling [Trump] so hard and I am here for every minute of it," chuckled one user. Agreed another, "That's the most sarcastic camera pan I've ever seen." However, other commenters jumped in to point out that sports and concert venues often leave certain sections unsold to begin with. 

Trump's habitual lateness may also have contributed to the reduced attendance. With so little time before Election Day, both he and Democratic opponent Kamala Harris have been scheduling two or three rallies a day in crucial swing states. Reportedly, audiences have been kept waiting for two hours or more while the former president hops between events, but he writes it off as running on Trump Standard Time. "We don't want to be late, but it's very hard when you do these things," he told the (smaller) audience (via X). 

Trump continued, "You don't mind a little bit — we weren't very late, just a few minutes, depending on your definition of when it's going to start." Of course, the MAGA faithful would never admit to being bored with his speeches. In interviews, those departing early reasoned that they just needed to get home to relieve a babysitter or to get ready for work. Hopefully, these excuses are enough to mollify their "favorite president." Trump's ego can't handle the dwindling crowd sizes at his events, and one can only imagine what his reaction to the latest video proof that he's not playing to a standing-room-only venue.