Did Joe Biden Have a Nearly Empty ‘Rally’?

No.

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On Friday, President Trump tweeted a picture of a largely empty room he said was from the latest Joe Biden campaign rally:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1274080589310824450

The image is from a Biden campaign event held on June 17 in Darby, Pennsylvania. New York Times reporter Lisa Lerer attended the event, and wrote about the precautions taken at Biden’s campaign stop. The event was not a “rally” as Trump claimed—it was closed off to the public, with Biden delivering his address to a small audience of individuals picked by his campaign. Those in attendance included local business leaders, elected officials, and reporters, all of whom were placed in socially distanced seats.

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  1. Gene

    1. Trump's rally in live attendance was much less than Trump's expectation.
    2. TOTAL VIEWERSHIP of Trump's rally - TV and online - was GIGANTIC. It greatly exceeded any prior Fox program. Daily viewership of Fox exceeds that of combined ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and MSNBC.
    3. Seems a certainty that Trump rallies continue and likely that their live attendance will increase.
    4. Seems unlikely Biden will have a rally.
    5. Seems a certainty that no Biden rally will approach any Trump rally in live attendance.
    6. Seems a certainty that no Biden presentation on TV or online will approach total viewership of a Trump rally.
    7. Seems a certainty that total viewership of the Biden-Trump debates will be gigantic.

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  2. Luke Thompson

    I'd like a decent definition of a rally here.

    I'm pretty sure this meets MW's definition. And the picture you've included shows 50% attendance. Given that Trump just held an actual rally, I don't think his description of Biden's event falls outside of acceptable puffery.

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    Victor Clairmont

    well, in a few months we will probably see how both bases are energized/not energized. Only time will tell as we get closer to the election.

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  4. linda

    Just want to get this out there.....I hate rallies!!!! Thank you.

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  5. Gene

    Yes, not a "rally" as Trump claimed. But Biden has not held a rally since March, PRESUMABLY "because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic." A CONVENIENT excuse to avoid the possibility - likelihood? - of a sparse crowd attending a Biden rally? Which possible cause is MORE LIKELY true?

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    1. Luke Thompson

      How are you defining a rally? When we're dealing with what's obviously a political expression, the guidelines need to be expanded. I'm pretty sure this counts as a rally under the dictionary definition.

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      Marty

      Has no one ever explained to you that using all caps in a digital communication is the equivalent of shouting and is considered extremely rude? Dispatch forums are a place for civil conversation, so use your indoor voice, please. Though perhaps John's tactic of sarcastically giving you a taste of your own medicine will be more effective than a simple admonition.

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        Angie

        I think Mark agreed with him, why he used the caps?

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        Angie

        It is, but, I am not against using it for effect when appropriate..I think he used it to hihglight his opinion, not yell at anyone

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          Idontdocute

          No, it is yelling. My boss does it frequently, in red, in her emails, highlighted in yellow, underlined, in large font.

          She gets ignored a lot.

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      rlritt

      I dobt that is completely true, except his supporters are moderate politically and have a lot of common sense so they may prefer a virtual rally.

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    4. @fakeJohn

      I think a better question to ask is: Why would a gaff prone candidate hold a rally when he is steadily pulling ahead in the polls by doing nothing except presumably - excuse me - PRESUMABLY sitting back with a bowl of popcorn watching his opponent commit unforced error after unforced error?
      I wouldn't say it is likely - excuse me- LIKELY a Biden rally would be sparsely attended, I would almost guarantee it. Given that how seriously people are taking the threat of COVID, sadly, aligns with their political leanings, I would expect very few people who plan to vote Democrat would take the risk to go to a Biden rally. What was telling was after all the rhetoric about masks and the threat of COVID, I think we learned that many Republicans take the threat more seriously than they may publicly admit. The inCONVENIENT truth for Trump supporters is that his cult of personality is not strong enough to make his most ardent fans risk their health to show their support. Trump gloating about crowd size the day before his disappointing showing is just another example of an unforced error.

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        cheerio

        A rally is not the same as an interview or a debate. Generally, the speech is prepared and run through a few times and put on a teleprompter so the risk of gaffe is probably low but so what if he does? I mean, Trump has set a pretty low bar on gaffes. His truthiness is in the sharp negatives as well. Most politicians, Trump included (at least in his 2016 campaign) -- use the same stump speech formula (if they are smart) over and over. Rallies are probably not the way to go this year. I foresee virtual fundraiser/speaking events. In fact they are having one with Obama today.

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      2. Marc Whipple

        THANKS, JOHN! 😉

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      cheerio

      If that theory keeps your world stable. Sure. That's the ticket.

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    Rick Harlan

    Fact-checking @realDonaldTrump is like a Columbo mystery. You already know the tweet is false/who the killer is, but you keep reading/watching to see how Alec/Columbo proves it.

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    Visibly

    NYT is never an empty rally!

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    Butch Earl

    "Joe Biden's rally. ZERO prancing."
    Very refreshing and effective.

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    Johntadian

    It would be nice if the fact check would have included the number expeted/number attended at the "campaign event". I see two people and two empty chairs, and that begs more questions than it answers.

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    1. David

      It's in the NYT linked story. Twenty handpicked individuals for the Biden event.

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    John D. Wright

    These fact checks are great! A nice part of the dispatch.

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