‘The most thin-skinned man’: Donald Trump can’t accept that people actually do leave his rallies
Donald Trump’s fixation on rally attendance has evolved into outright denial, as the former president repeatedly insists “nobody leaves early” despite clear evidence to the contrary—even as it occurs right in front of him.
At a recent town hall in Flint, Michigan, Trump declared, “Everybody stays ’till the end.” When forced to acknowledge departures at a Walker, Michigan event, he spun an alternative explanation: attendees only appear to leave because they want photos with him.
Reality tells a different story. At a Las Vegas rally, over 200 people exited within the first 20 minutes. In Tucson, even Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake departed before Trump finished speaking. In a Washington Post look into the phenomenon, one attendee, Melissa Prescott, left just 25 minutes into Trump’s remarks, explaining she needed to pick up her disabled cousin.
The exodus has become so noticeable that Trump’s rival Kamala Harris weaponized it during their debate, suggesting people leave out of “exhaustion and boredom.” This jab appears to have struck a nerve, prompting repeated defensive responses from Trump.
“The fake news media never wants to report the truth about President Trump’s rallies: they are the biggest political events in history,” insisted campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, pivoting to crowd size rather than addressing the departures.
Then, at a benefit in Glendale, AZ, Trump, speaking to Tucker Carlson, said, “When that sleaze bag (talking about Harris) said during the debate, your rallies aren’t well attended, and people leave, they don’t leave … nobody leaves early … nobody leaves … it’s never happened before.”
Political commentator Mehdi Hasan further illuminated Trump’s weird focus on his crowd sizes: “The most thin-skinned man on planet earth. Harris’s jibe about his crowds bothers him much more than anyone calling him a Nazi or Hitler.”
Trump’s own advisers have urged him to deliver shorter speeches, but he’s resistant. “They want a show. They want two hours,” Trump told one ally who suggested briefer remarks. Meanwhile, his speechwriters craft 60-90 minute addresses, knowing Trump will extend them significantly.
The pattern persists: large crowds gather early, endure unnecessarily long waits, and then steadily stream out as Trump’s extended, off-script speeches drag on into weird conspiracy and foolishness. In Indiana, PA, attendees trickled out during yawn-inducting refrains about abortion policy and World War III warnings. By 90 minutes in, empty seats were conspicuous.
The reality of rally departures clearly bothers Trump more than substantive criticisms. His persistent denials and elaborate explanations for obvious exits reveal a leader unable to accept even this minor rejection from his base.
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