Fox News’s Chris Wallace presses Trump campaign adviser on Tulsa rally: ‘People didn’t show up’

Fox News’s Chris Wallace pressed Trump campaign adviser Mercedes Schlapp on the attendance at President Trump’s Tulsa, Okla., rally, saying, “People didn’t show up.”

Wallace asked Schlapp on “Fox News Sunday” about the turnout at Saturday’s rally, which was lower than the expected 1 million people the Trump campaign had said requested tickets. The Tulsa Fire Department reported that almost 6,200 people attended the rally. 

The Fox News host pointed out that photos showed the BOK Center, which holds about 19,200 people, was “no more than two-thirds full.”

Schlapp said several Trump supporters did not show up because they were “worried about the protesters coming in.” Hundreds of protesters marched down streets, but only one was arrested for trespassing in a secure area, the Tulsa World reported. 

“Protesters did not stop people from coming to that rally. The fact is, people didn’t show up,” Wallace said, as Schlapp pushed back.

The host also noted that Trump cites the attendance at his events as a gauge of his support, saying, “He talks about how he can fill an arena and that Joe Biden can’t.”

“I’d love to see a Joe Biden rally. Let’s bring it on because there is no comparison,” Schlapp said. 

“Those people that knew that they wanted to be there physically present with the president, they joined us, and they’re family-oriented individuals who wanted to come out and be with us,” she added. 

Wallace responded, “Mercedes, please don’t filibuster. We’re showing pictures here, and it shows big, empty areas. Frankly, it makes you guys look silly when you deny the reality of what happened.”

The campaign adviser said she wasn’t denying what happened. She called Biden a “failed politician” and said Trump utilized the rally to talk about the former vice president’s “failed record.”

The Fox News host changed the subject after that, saying, “You’re shifting to a campaign speech, which has nothing to do with the attendance of the rally.”

Trump on Saturday spoke to thousands in his first campaign rally since the coronavirus pandemic began. But he and Vice President Pence ditched plans to talk to supporters outside the arena when attendance seemed to fall short of expectations.