Trump’s ‘15 out of 10’ tantrum at low rally turnout
DONALD Trump’s so-called comeback rally turned into a fiasco with the US president talking to a third-full arena on Saturday night and some of his staff catching coronavirus.
After boasting of a million ticket applications, Mr Trump was left humiliated after it emerged liberal activists booked thousands of seats at the 19,000-capacity arena in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with no intention of turning up. A second overflow event outside the arena was cancelled when just 25 people turned up in a space where 40,000 were expected. Just under 6,200 people attended the rally, Tulsa’s fire department said yesterday.
Advisers claimed Mr Trump was so angry afterwards his rage was ‘15 out of 10’, ABC News said. The event was Mr Trump’s first rally for three months and was seen as the official start of his re-election campaign.
Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praised those, mainly thought to be teenagers, who had ‘flooded the Trump campaign with fake ticket reservations’. Ever since Mr Trump announced the indoor event, health officials warned about the potential for coronavirus to be spread. Hours before the rally it emerged that six members of the president’s team had tested positive for Covid-19.
Few wore masks, which were not required, but they did have to sign a waiver saying they would not sue the president if they caught the virus.
One member of the audience was Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, who was given permission to attend because it would be ‘in the national interest’, US homeland security said.