Donald Trump Rally Video Shows Mass 'Walking Out' During Speech

A video filmed during Donald Trump's New Jersey rally on Saturday shows "thousands" of people leaving while the former president was still talking.

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and his allies have claimed that more than 100,000 people attended the rally in Wildwood. But some on social media questioned that figure, and reporters shared videos of people departing while Trump was still addressing the crowd.

Walter Masterson wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "Here is 35 unedited minutes showing thousands of MAGA walking out on Trump while he's still talking."

Trump, who is charged in four criminal cases as he seeks to reclaim the White House, took the stage in Wildwood at about 6:20 p.m. and spoke for roughly 90 minutes.

At one point just a few minutes into Masterson's video, a rally attendee is seen telling him that the time is 6:48 p.m. meaning many people were leaving before Trump was even halfway through his speech.

"You can clearly see that people are leaving while [Trump is] rambling incoherently," Masterson wrote in another post. "This happens at a lot of rallies, cultists show up thinking he will say something new and profound. Then they get bored and walkout."

Trump made a series of bizarre comments and gaffes at the rally in Wildwood, mixing up the names of several people and places. He also referred to the "late, great Hannibal Lecter," calling the fictional serial killer character "a wonderful man."

Many of Trump's allies had bragged about the size of the crowd at the rally, suggesting it showed that he would undoubtedly defeat President Joe Biden in November's election. "The American people are energized and ready to reelect President Trump in November," GOP Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X.

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told Newsweek on Sunday that "over 100,000 people patriots" had shown up to hear Trump speak.

While it's not clear exactly how many attended the rally, Wildwood's Republican mayor, Ernie Troiano Jr., earlier said that the beach could accommodate only about 20,000 people and that about that many tickets had been requested for the rally.

Aliya Schneider, a reporter with The Philadelphia Inquirer, posted videos showing some attendees leaving the rally while Trump was still speaking. "Trump is still speaking, but the crowd has been thinning. People have been walking out back to the boardwalk," Schneider wrote in one post.

Alongside another video, Schneider wrote: "The back section of the crowd is noticeably smaller as people continue to leave while Trump is still speaking."

USA Today reporter Zac Anderson posted a video showing that much of the crowd had already left while Trump was still delivering his remarks.

"Trump is still speaking in Wildwood but much of the crowd has left. It's cold and he's been speaking 90 minutes. This whole area was full of people when Trump started," Anderson wrote.

Update 5/13/24, 9:46 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional comments.