Former President Donald Trump hosted his first rally since President Joe Biden won the election and a deadly attack happened on the U.S. Capitol. Trump has not yet announced if he will run for president in 2024. His rally on Saturday, June 26, 2021, was held in Wellington, Ohio, for Max Miller, who is running for Congress. This was part of what Trump is calling a “Save America” tour. Read on to learn more about how many people attended Trump’s Ohio rally.
Thousands Attended the Rally
GettyTrump speaks at his rally.
Trump’s first post-presidency rally was held at the Lorain County Fairgrounds in Wellington. The event was sponsored by Save America, according to his website. This rally was in support of Miller, a former White House adviser who is running in the 16th Congressional District primary against incumbent Anthony Gonzalez, Fox 8 reported. Gonzalez voted for Trump’s impeachment after the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
GettySupporters wait for the gates to open.
Wellington Police Chief Tim Barfield told 10 WBNS that he expected 15,000 to 20,000 people to attend the rally. Reuters estimated actual attendance being in the “thousands.”
GettyA “Save America” banner is seen above the bleachers.
Conservative Twitter account The Columbia Bugle shared this photo of the crowd:
Wow! Look At The Crowd At The Trump Rally In Ohio Tonight!
Brendan Gutenschwager, an independent reporter, said there were thousands in line for the rally hours before it started:
Thousands now in line here in Wellington, Ohio, as the crowd begins to filter through security for today’s Trump rally #Ohio #TrumpRally
While Republicans were impressed by his crowd size, not all Democrats agreed. Brian R. Hester, Butler Democrats executive committee chair and pledged district delegate for Biden, tweeted that he thought the crowd was “shockingly small” compared to the attendance Trump previously attracted and thought this was one of the smallest Ohio crowds Trump had over a weekend.
Another person tweeted that they thought the crowd didn’t look that big, but some people responded that the angle from the video he was watching didn’t show the overflow:
One person replied that the crowd couldn’t be seen from that angle:
@Cernovich It’s the setup. Most of the crowd was behind him and even more couldn’t get in because of traffic bottlenecks. I was just there
Heather Mullins of Real America’s Voice News, a conservative news service, shared the following videos below of the overflow crowd:
Cleveland, Ohio: *Better shot* of the overflow lot at President Trumps first official rally since leaving the White House. These are all people that didn’t make it in. 🇺🇸 @RealAmVoice
When Trump took the stage, he tossed MAGA hats to the crowd, reported Gutenschwager.
Trump takes the stage for his first public rally since January 6th, tossing out MAGA hats while walking to the podium for tonight’s speech #TrumpRally #Ohio
Suzanne Lynch of the Irish Times shared this crowd video:
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke before Trump took the stage. Mike Lindell, also known as “the My Pillow guy,” was also in attendance.
“Lock him up!” chants at the mention of Dr. Anthony Fauci during Marjorie Taylor Greene’s speech #TrumpRally
During his speech, Trump listed a number of Republican candidates he views as “RINOs” (Republicans in Name Only). He also claimed that Biden is “destroying our nation” and took time to attack the “fake news media,” as he often did during campaign rallies.
Trump’s Next Rally Is July 3
GettyTrump supporters eagerly wait to see former President Donald Trump speak during a campaign-style rally in Wellington, Ohio, on June 26, 2021.
Trump’s next rally will take place on Saturday, July 3, at 8 p.m. Eastern in Sarasota, Florida, at the Sarasota Fairgrounds, according to his website. Doors will open at 2 p.m. Eastern.
Trump told Newsmax that he will decide whether he’s running for the 2024 election in the “not too distant future.” He added, “Right now, I’m helping a lot of people get into office, and we’re fighting the deep state, and we’re fighting radical left. They’re after me. They’re after Rudy, they’re after you, probably. They’re after anybody.”
He predicted that people would be “thrilled” by the results of the 2024 election.
READ NEXT: The latest COVID-19 news & vaccine updates