Former President Donald Trump’s Bronx rally drew about 8,000 to 10,000 attendees, a law enforcement source told The Washington Post on Friday.
Thursday night’s rally was held in Crotona Park, with an allowed capacity of 3,500 people. Thousands of Trump supporters lined up at security gates for hours, hoping to catch a glimpse of the 45th president as he returned to rally in New York City for the first time since 2016.
Attendees were able to participate in the event until the final moments of President Trump’s speech.
Caroline Levitt, the Trump campaign’s national director, claimed a total of 25,000 people attended, but another campaign staffer told The Washington Post he estimated around 10,000 people showed up.
The exact size of the crowd was difficult to gauge as what appeared to be several thousand people were gradually allowed through security gates. There was room in the park itself and around Trump’s stage for many more people throughout his speech, and his team tried to keep that figure.
Trump adviser Chris LaCivita told The Washington Post that 20,000 people had registered to attend the rally.
The Post heard visitors complain about the park’s limited capacity.
While the rally was not as large as Trump’s one in Wildwood, New Jersey, two weeks ago, it was meant to show that Trump is “not afraid” to show up in traditionally Democratic voting areas, Trump campaign manager Daniel Alvarez told The Washington Post.
The Bronx was also an opportunity for Trump to connect with black and Hispanic voters in New York, where polls show the former president is winning over in record numbers.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to win New York in 2024, despite losing his home state by double-digit margins in 2016 and 2020.
