Trump’s Jersey Shore rally and its big lie… after ex president claimed he attracted a bigger crowd than New Jersey icon Bruce Springsteen
The Jersey Shore town where Donald Trump held a raucous rally says reports of a crowd of up to 80,000 in attendance were actually just the number of people who attended that day.
The ex-president’s campaign claimed that 80,000 supporters turned out for the oceanfront affair in Wildwood, one of the most famous coastal landmarks in the Garden State.
Trump’s sons and the Donald himself even bragged that at one point he attracted a bigger audience than Jersey legend Bruce Springsteen ever could. Fox news has suggested it was closer to 30,000.
However, a city spokesperson now disputes the figures that Trump boasts about and that are used in official reporting by media such as the Associated Press.
Lisa Fagan told NJ Insider that the 80,000 to even 100,000 figures being talked about were just the number of people “in our city” that day.
The Jersey Shore town where Donald Trump held his scandalous rally says reports of a crowd of as many as 80,000 in attendance were actually just the number of people who attended that weekend
Wildwood is a well-known destination for tourists, especially as the weather warms up, and Fagan says she watched the rally as well as several other events in the area.
“For the exact count on the beach, we refer to the Trump campaign,” Fagan added.
Mayor Ernie Troiano, a Republican who helped secure the location for Trumpfurther clarified the figures in a statement.
“As a tourist city, we speak in tourist numbers,” he wrote. “When we see that many people attending a beach event, we know there are more than 80,000 people in our city.”
He said the nearly two-mile-long boardwalk and five-mile island town draw about 250,000 visitors each weekend in the summer.
“We know what that volume looks like,” he added. ‘They watched and listened from the beach and boardwalk, in bars and restaurants, at hotels and second homes. People even lined the streets in parade style. For the exact count on the beach, we refer to the Trump campaign.’
Trump opened the rally by saying he planned to contest not only in New Jersey — a traditionally Democratic state — but also in Minnesota and Virginia.
“I don’t know if it can be all of them,” Trump predicted about the states he would win in the November election. “This guy is so damn bad it could be all of them.”
The ex-president’s campaign claimed that 80,000 supporters turned out for the oceanfront affair in Wildwood, one of the most famous coastal landmarks in the Garden State.
Trump’s sons and the Donald himself even bragged that at one point he attracted a bigger audience than Jersey legend Bruce Springsteen ever could, although Fox News has suggested it was closer to 30,000.
The presumptive Republican nominee sprinkled his stump speech with Jersey Shore references as he spoke in front of a large Ferris wheel and other amusement park attractions.
“Let’s talk about hot dogs. I actually just had one,” Trump declared. “I just ate a hot dog, it was very tasty.”
He went into a story about how Frank Sinatra told him not to eat before a performance, but he didn’t follow that advice because he was a “politician,” while his other friend, Italian opera singer Pavarotti, gave no such advice.
Then Trump got back to the point of the message: that hot dogs, hamburgers, gasoline and everything else are too expensive under President Joe Biden.
“That’s why I’m out of bacon, it’s too expensive,” Trump volunteered.
At another point, Trump brought up the state’s former governor, Chris Christie.
“Does anyone like Chris Christie?” he asked the huge crowd.
Noos sounded everywhere.
However, a city spokesperson now disputes the figures that Trump boasts about and that are used in official reporting. Lisa Fagan said the 80,000 or even 100,000 people talked about were just the number of people “in our city” that day
The presumptive Republican nominee sprinkled his stump speech with Jersey Shore references as he spoke in front of a large Ferris wheel and other amusement park attractions.
Christie ran against Trump in the Republican primaries earlier this year as the most prominent anti-Trump Republican.
The ex-president also played up his business ties with Jersey, having previously owned three casinos in Atlantic City on the seaside resort’s coastal strip.
“I know the coast better than most people here,” Trump boasted minutes after his speech.
Trump’s most devoted supporters began camping on a Jersey beach Thursday evening — more than 48 hours before the ex-president was scheduled to speak. The fans who arrived early had to contend with wind, some rain and temperatures hovering just above 50 degrees – unusually cold for mid-May.
On the nearby boardwalk, stores were filled with MAGA merchandise — hats, T-shirts, shorts and even gold boots — that resembled Trump’s Sneaker Con $400 kicks.
In the hours leading up to Trump’s speech, a number of speakers from the MAGA movement took the stage, including North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who said he had flown to New Jersey on the ex-president’s plane.
Burgum’s inclusion is notable because he is reportedly one of the candidates Trump is considering as a vice presidential pick.
Trump teased that possibility during his speech.
Plumes of fake smoke billowed from the stage Saturday evening as former President Donald Trump entered his rally site in Jersey Shore
Supporters of former President Donald Trump cheer during the playing of the national anthem before his performance Saturday in Wildwood
“Get ready for something, get ready,” the presumptive Republican nominee said.
The rally was held oceanfront between two boardwalk amusement parks, with many Trump supporters waiting on the sand for hours for the ex-president to speak.
An Emerson College poll from the end of March showed the Democratic president holding a five-point lead over Trump in the Garden State, with third-party hopefuls Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West and Jill Stein playing a role.
In a two-way race, Biden defeated Trump by six points.