On June 15, Trump celebrated on Twitter that nearly a million people had requested tickets for his rally in Tulsa.
His campaign manager, Brad Parscale, touted similar figures.
The campaign was so intent on involving those who could not make it into the 19,000-seat arena that preparations were made for the president to address attendees outside as well.
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) told reporters earlier today that the outdoor remarks would be a chance for supporters fearful about an indoor gathering to take part nonetheless.
Almost One Million people request tickets for the Saturday Night Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2020
But an overflow audience failed to materialize, as the area outside the arena emptied out and plans for an outdoor address were scrapped.
Inside the stadium, the program began with a swath of seats still unfilled.
The upper bowl of the stadium was almost entirely empty.
The lower bowl was mostly full but with sections of empty seats.
The floor was of the arena was about two-thirds full.
A video panorama view inside the arena for @realDonaldTrump rally in Tulsa. pic.twitter.com/h4H8r60YwQ
— Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) June 20, 2020
The campaign blamed protesters, though there was little evidence the president’s fans were deterred by backlash to his visit.
“Sadly, protestors interfered with supporters, even blocking access to the metal detectors, which prevented people from entering the rally,” said Tim Murtaugh, a campaign spokesman. “Radical protestors, coupled with a relentless onslaught from the media, attempted to frighten off the president’s supporters. We are proud of the thousands who stuck it out.”
Tulsa police erected metal fencing and other barriers as a part of a “secure zone” around the venue. One protester was arrested Saturday at the request of the Trump campaign for refusing to leave the barricaded area.
“There’s not a million people like they said,” said Erin Taylor, 33, as she left the rally site with her parents.
“We’ve been here for a few hours,” Jeff Marlow, 68, explained. “We’re hot, and tired, and thirsty.”
The space outside the BOK Center had been laid out for a large crowd.
A stage was set for a presidential speech, with a lectern in front of an American flag and behind protective glass.
Fans had been set up alongside the path to the arena, which was empty apart from foot traffic to the arena.
“They’re being wasted here,” said Cindy Marlow, 67.
“Smaller than expected crowd trickles into Tulsa rally,” CNN’s chyron read on Saturday evening, as anchor Wolf Blitzer focused on the empty seats in the upper deck of the BOK Center, which holds 19,199 people.
Trump has fixated on crowd sizes, to the point of challenging news accounts of empty seats at previous rallies and, most famously, sending his first press secretary, Sean Spicer, out to the media to insist that the president drew “the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period.”
The rally has been seen as a way for Trump to return to the campaign trail, in a format he typically seems to relish, in what his campaign billed as the “Great American Comeback.”
His last rally was in Charlotte on March 2.
He trails Vice President Joe Biden by 12 points in the latest Fox News poll, and almost nine points in Real Clear Politics polling average.
Trump also is sending a message of defiance amid the coronavirus, which has otherwise forced the cancellation or postponement of large-scale events around the world.
Journalists have pressed White House and campaign officials on safety measures for the rally given that the state has reported an uptick in cases.
As of Saturday, Tulsa County has the most cases of any county in the state — 2,206.