Trump Speech In Tulsa: Why Was The Rally Such A Dud? Arena Not Filled Despite Big Hype

President Trump expected his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the BOK Center on Saturday to be packed, but the event only attracted 6,200 people, a fraction of the venue’s 19,200 capacity. The lackluster turnout can be attributed to several factors.

Prior to the event, Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale claimed over a million people had applied for tickets to the rally. But in an effort to troll the Trump campaign, teenagers on video app TikTok had applied for tickets to the event with no intention of actually attending the rally. Trump had hoped to give a speech to an overflow crowd outside prior to his main address inside the center, but the speech was canceled due to low turnout.

Images inside the BOK center showed the upper decks mostly empty. Parscale blamed the low turnout on protesters outside of the rally.

“Radical protestors, fueled by a week of apocalyptic media coverage, interfered with @realDonaldTrump supporters at the rally. They even blocked access to the metal detectors, preventing people from entering. Thanks to the 1,000s who made it anyway!” Parscale tweeted.

Although there were protesters outside, there is little evidence that they blocked access to the event and interfered with the turnout.

“Actually you just got ROCKED by teens on TikTok who flooded the Trump campaign w/ fake ticket reservations & tricked you into believing a million people wanted your white supremacist open mic enough to pack an arena during COVID. Shout out to Zoomers. Y’all make me so proud,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY., tweeted in response to Parscale. Zoomers is a slang term in reference to Generation Z.

The coronavirus also likely had a major impact on turnout. Two members of the coronavirus task force, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, warned Trump about holding a rally in an indoor venue amid the pandemic. Six of Trump’s Tulsa campaign staffers also tested positive for the virus shortly before the event, with Trump reportedly enraged when he saw media coverage of this news.

Attendees were given hand sanitizer and had their temperatures taken, but were not required to wear a mask. Some health experts said the rally could be a “super spreader” event, and fear of infection could have resulted in some Trump supporters staying home.

The rally could also be impacted by Trump’s waning job approval ratings, with an ABC/Ipsos poll on Sunday showing Trump with 58% disapproval and only 41% approval. The coronavirus, along with a poor economy and criticism over his response to the death of George Floyd, could be negatively affecting his shot at a second term and dampening the enthusiasm for his presidency.

The low turnout could be seen as a lack of enthusiasm from Trump's base. In 2016, Trump won Oklahoma by a 36-point margin over Hillary Clinton during the presidential election.