If Donald Trump is trying to woo New Jersey, he has a strange strategy.
During a rally at the boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey, on Saturday, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee boasted about his crowd being bigger than a Bruce Springsteen concert, shows that regularly sell out stadiums that can fill tens of thousands.
He also claimed Springsteen, a very-public ally of President Joe Biden, “actually” voted for Trump, and that he was a shoo-in to win New Jersey in November, despite the fact the state has been a Democratic stronghold since the Clinton era.
Trump: Is there anything better than a Trump rally? These liberal singers, they actually vote for me. You know, like Bruce Springsteen. We have a much bigger crowd than Bruce Springsteen. Right? pic.twitter.com/avB1njR58v
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 11, 2024
A spokesperson for the city of Wildwood backed Trump’s claim.
Lisa Fagan told The Associated Press she estimated the crowd had to be between 80,000 and 100,000 people, based on her observations of smaller events which took place in the same space.
But footage from the rally made those stats fairly hard to believe.
While Trump fans packed the rafters behind him, video showed an embarrassingly sparse crowd in front of the former president ― an audience that grew even thinner as his 90-plus-minute speech droned on.
Springsteen fans readily fact-checked Trump’s gloating as they shared clips from The Boss’ packed shows at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, which has a capacity of 82,500 people.
Still, more people wondered why in the world Trump would pick a fight with Springsteen, who is a veritable god to those in the Garden State.
Back in 2020, the “Born to Run” singer urged voters to help put an end to Trump’s time in the Oval Office, calling the 45th president’s first term a “fucking nightmare” for America.
See some more choice reactions to Trump’s speech right here:
If this was a REAL crowd of my fellow New Jerseyans, and not a bunch of brainwashed posers, there is NO chance they would have allowed this Bruce slander to stand.
— Jay Black (@jayblackisfunny) May 11, 2024
“Allow me to lie about singers and then insult them”
-trump translated
— Jake Cobb (@realjakecobb) May 11, 2024
Trump insults the President of New Jersey.🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
— mrbigg🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@mrbigg450) May 12, 2024
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