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Has President Trump held the biggest rallies of any candidate in US political history?

Thursday, November 5, 2020
By Christopher Hutton
NO

Typically, before the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump's rallies drew from 5,000 to 15,000 supporters. In August 2015, 30,000 people gathered in Mobile, Alabama. In March 2016, 29,000 attended a rally in Cleveland.

Crowd sizes during the 2020 cycle were limited by concerns—and in some cases, laws and local mandates—about crowd sizes amid the coronavirus pandemic. A rally in Las Vegas held before the spring shutdown drew 15,000. Rallies during the fall were typically described as attracting thousands, not tens of thousands.

Other political candidates have drawn larger crowds in recent years. Texas senatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke attracted 55,000 attendees at a 2018 rally, appearing with Willy Nelson. A 2008 Denver rally for then-candidate Barack Obama turned out 100,000 people; his Chicago victory rally drew nearly 250,000.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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