President Donald Trump’s launch for America’s 250th birthday celebration bombed hard, with attendees ditching his speech halfway through. Nicolle Wallace of MS NOW didn’t hold back, labeling the event as “off to a very rocky start.”
“Not a great look, though, for a guy who worries so much about crowd size,” Wallace stated while showcasing footage from The Bulwark, a conservative group that opposes Trump. The video captured people leaving the rally on the National Mall while Trump droned on in the background.
Trump, notorious for his obsession with crowd numbers, took to social media not once but twice to assert that the event was “packed to the brim.”
“Everybody stayed right until the end of my Speech,” he claimed on Truth Social, despite clear evidence showing otherwise.
Jared Poland from The Bulwark, who filmed the exodus, also shared a snapshot of an attendee snoozing on the grass during Trump’s address.
“A lot of people got their picture of Trump and headed for the gates,” Poland told Wallace.
Wallace then aired a clip of Jimmy Fallon taking jabs at the rally. Fallon quipped that the event, complete with a military flyover and Lee Greenwood belting out “God Bless The USA,” felt like déjà vu.
“Even Trump’s biggest fans are like, ‘Is this a repeat?’” Fallon joked. “Because I feel like I’ve seen this before.”
Wallace found Fallon’s remark “remarkable,” especially since he usually avoids political commentary.
“This is where it hurts the most if you’re Donald Trump,” she remarked. “A repeat, a rehash, not so A-list.”
She also played a clip of Trump pleading with supporters to show up for his July 4 speech next week. He warned that if there were just two empty seats, the “fake news” would claim “he didn’t fill out the arena.” That line sent Wallace into fits of laughter.
“The idea that we’re the problem?” she scoffed. “He seems to be the problem when it comes to empty seats.”
See more of her conversation with Poland below:
