Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump took the stage in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, and was greeted by a roaring crowd. Then something unusual happened, Trump didn’t retain the crowd he started with.
As is typical with his rallies, it began with a packed house of supporters holding signs and wearing Trump gear. By the end of his one hour and 45-minute speech, many had already left. Photos appeared to show entire sections of the 8,000 seat arena nearly empty, something unheard of for a MAGA event in 2020 and 2016.
Reporting from The Guardian explains why some attendees moved for the exits.
“He reminded me why I’m not going to vote for him this time,” Jenny, a local business owner, told the outlet. “I voted for him in 2016 and had a Trump flag in the front yard. I voted for him again in 2020 but didn’t put the flag out that time.”
“But after listening to that, I’m actually afraid of Trump being president again. I don’t know what he was talking about half the time. Perhaps he was always like that but he seems worse, more unstable,” she added.
MAGA rallies are quintessential Trump. His ability to work a crowd helped him turn Luzerne County red in 2016 and 2020 after voting for Obama twice.
“Trump’s got to focus on the message and not get distracted by personal attacks,” said Frank Scavo, a supporter who attended the rally. “These rallies fire up the base to go out there and knock on doors. But if we don’t get people out there knocking on doors, Trump’s not going to win Luzerne county.”
It appears Trump doesn’t want to listen. At a rally in North Carolina on Aug. 21, Trump conducted a poll of his supporters in the crowd. He asked two questions: Should I get personal? Should I not get personal?
The crowd cheered the former and booed the latter.
“My advisers are fired,” Trump joked.
While strategy can be debated, this can’t: Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016 and won the election, he lost Pennsylvania in 2020 and lost the election.
Pennsylvania will be equally important in 2024 and he’s currently losing. The 538 average has Vice President Harris up by 1.5 points, more than the 1.2 points Trump lost by in 2020, so every tenth of a point matters.
