Trump greeted by empty seats at Arizona rally leaving supporters 'totally shocked': report
Source: Raw Story
April 18, 2026 7:36AM ET
Donald Trump's ability to pack arenas is evaporating.The president who once filled sports venues across the country couldn't even come close to filling a 4,500-seat Arizona church on Friday night, exposing the dramatic erosion of his political momentum.
According to the Washington Post, Trump was the featured speaker at a Turning Point USA rally in Phoenix at Dream City Church. Despite his boast earlier in the day on Truth Social about addressing a "BIG CROWD," the turnout was sparse and underwhelming.
The attendance numbers tell the story. A Turning Point USA spokeperson claimed only about 3,000 people attended meaning the church was roughly two-thirds full at best. For a president who once commanded arena-sized audiences, the half-empty megachurch represents a stunning reversal.
The demographic breakdown was equally telling, reports the Post. The megachurch was supposed to be a venue for Trump to drum up support among young voters. Instead, he found an audience whose members skewed older and were focused on divisions within their own party. Even longtime supporters were shocked by the sparse crowd. One Trump voter, Diane Niemann, a retired dental hygienist, told the Post she was "was not planning to come to the Friday event until she saw there was hardly a line to get in." "I'm totally shocked," Niemann said.
Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/trump-rally-flop/
magicarpet
(18,867 posts)Except the hardcore MAGA Meatheads.
FakeNoose
(41,936 posts)It's just a guess, but doesn't it look like THAT was the reason for all the people coming before his election?
They showed up to get paid, and then they left. Now they aren't even showing up.
And people are surprised?
Skittles
(172,164 posts)JFC, why would anyone have to GO ANYWHERE to see and hear him, he's in our face EVERY FUCKING DAY
Irish_Dem
(81,833 posts)dalton99a
(94,684 posts)Ponietz
(4,373 posts)AZ8theist
(7,456 posts)Attilatheblond
(9,029 posts)Whoever planned this shindig didn't think several things thru.
Also, there was a recall of a lot of F150 pickup trucks, so some of those baby boyz might have been without wheels.
llmart
(17,657 posts)Attilatheblond
(9,029 posts)ck4829
(37,942 posts)electric_blue68
(26,980 posts)SergeStorms
(20,684 posts)A 4,500 seat freaking church! And they're hosting a partisan political rally? WTF!
It's past the point where these "christian" nationalists should have their tax-exempt status revoked.
This is freaking sickening!
Bayard
(29,933 posts)That's a stadium--not a church. No way they should be tax-exempt. Wonder what they charged to get into this event? Maybe the crowd thought he would show up as Jesus.
travelingthrulife
(5,325 posts)We need to expand the IRS again so they can go after these religious violations of their tax status.
AverageOldGuy
(3,995 posts). . . in her skin-tight widow's leather pants, stiletto heels, and see-through blouse?
enigmania
(495 posts)Amethyst Ring
(47 posts)Leaving the Cheese standing alone.
generalbetrayus
(1,912 posts)appearance at our megachurch would have 50 times the number of people outside hurling epithets than the number of people inside praising their Lord and Savior Donald Trump.
Scrivener7
(59,784 posts)TheRickles
(3,436 posts)niyad
(133,086 posts)on the AZ central web page. 24 images. creeeeepy.
TheRickles
(3,436 posts)Which I suppose suggests that it was a small crowd, too embarrassing to show.
niyad
(133,086 posts)3Hotdogs
(15,433 posts)TheRickles
(3,436 posts)Please share if you have a link with photos showing the crowd inside the church. Thanks.
Bengus81
(10,238 posts)So empty that grifter Kirk left JD to BS the few people.
TheRickles
(3,436 posts)niyad
(133,086 posts)Barely 200, more like.
Response to TheRickles (Reply #18)
ShazzieB This message was self-deleted by its author.
niyad
(133,086 posts)odins folly
(617 posts)We went to see Bruce on Thursday night, downtown Phoenix, venue has a 12k+ seating for concerts, cant find out how many seats were sold but it looked packed from where we were. Didnt see or hear any negative voices for his message, so that then the dismal turnout for the hitler youth turning point rally really makes me believe that AZ is actually turning the corner
😃😅
Cheezoholic
(3,786 posts)That's all you need to know about these people. Vanity.
niyad
(133,086 posts)she saw that there was hardly a line, which shocked her.
Bengus81
(10,238 posts)AZ8theist
(7,456 posts)paleotn
(22,413 posts)electric_blue68
(26,980 posts)Walleye
(45,075 posts)Do you think theyre actually getting tired of the repetition. That would be nice
Bengus81
(10,238 posts)Then...go vote for his orange ass anyway.
SouthBayDem
(33,311 posts)whooping my Golden State Warriors. The Diamondbacks won last night too over Toronto.
MIButterfly
(2,879 posts)I understand that 3,000 in a room that holds 4,500 is not a large turnout, but 3,000 sounds like way too many that still believe in him.
What will it take for people to wake up? If they haven't by now, they never will. It must be a cult, only usually cult leaders are charismatic. DJT doesn't have a charismatic bone in his body.
Edited to add: I personally can't believe anyone would actually leave their house, get in their car and drive to see him. I don't even want to want to see him on my TV and that's just across the room.
Grim Chieftain
(1,860 posts)BidenRocks
(3,373 posts)How many (other than white) folk were in attendance.
Go to a rally, get deported!
Where was his private army? ICE had to be there for the chickenshit warhawk!
RockRaven
(19,549 posts)If you don't understand that people, even MAGAts, are disillusioned then you are beyond reaching.
twodogsbarking
(18,983 posts)travelingthrulife
(5,325 posts)Rallies inside a church.
niyad
(133,086 posts)twodogsbarking
(18,983 posts)ananda
(35,287 posts)Wonder Why
(7,130 posts)BumRushDaShow
(170,669 posts)tens of people.
Cha
(319,560 posts)Last edited Sun Apr 19, 2026, 12:49 AM - Edit history (1)
This is the WaPo? What will Greedy Zombie Bezos think about his Cult god getting racked with real reporting?
flvegan
(66,370 posts)"that's my guy, right there, and I'm here for him" type of thing.
What utter shit people. I mean stupid is stupid, and that's unfortunate, but there's a line you have to cross to become an utterly useless, waste of humanity shit person.
*allegedly, of course
Wednesdays
(22,813 posts)I've seen better attendance at junior high school basketball games.
IcyPeas
(25,596 posts)Ask them why they're there.
Ask them a history question.
Ask them to name all the wars he's stopped.
RainCaster
(13,770 posts)But then I visited this spring and saw way too many ugly people, as defined by the bumper stickers on their golf carts. Nope, not for me.
Aussie105
(8,029 posts)Most people are so sick of Trump and his destructive game playing that it isn't funny.
How many true believers are still out there?
Hopefully, fewer and fewer every day.
DFW
(60,312 posts)But that doesn't mean that the people of Arizona are obligated to believe it.
After all, Governor Katie Hobbs and both U.S. Senators (Kelly and Gallego) are all Democrats. Maybe Trump hasn't yet figured out the meaning of that, but that doesn't mean that the rest of the state is forced to walk around in the same fog.
LilElf70
(1,594 posts)the beginning of the end.
There's hope for us after all. Now we have to win everything in November and shut him down for good.