Donald Trump speaks to shrunken Atlanta crowd as poll numbers drop

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Donald Trump speaks to shrunken Atlanta crowd as poll numbers drop

The presumptive Republican nominee struck an apocalyptic tone in latest
rally, saying the US wouldn’t survive if he isn’t elected and talked about
nukes in Japan

Matthew Teague in Atlanta
Wednesday 15 June 2016 23.13 BST

Amid shrinking poll numbers and smaller crowds, Donald Trump’s rhetoric took a dark turn on Wednesday in Atlanta.

The presumptive Republican nominee struck an apocalyptic tone, projecting that the United States would not survive if he were not elected. He raised the notion of welcoming North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un to the United States for negotiations. And he repeated his contention that Japan might have to “go nuclear” if it did not offer the United States better pay for its military protection.

Recent polls show Hillary Clinton leading Trump by double digits nationally. And his unfavorability ratings continue to rise.

That slowdown in support seemed evident on Wednesday when Trump spoke at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, which holds less than half the audience he commanded during his last appearance in Atlanta in February. “This place is packed,” he said, shielding his eyes against stage lights. “We have people outside who couldn’t get in. Does anybody want to give up their seat?”

Apparently Trump could not see the hundreds of empty seats in the theater’s second level. A similarly reduced crowd showed up at a recent campaign stop in Virginia.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/15/donald-trump-poll-numbers-us-election-hillary-clinton

[CanonRay]

1. He's running out of lunatics.

[jpak]

2. But there were a lot of protesters there today

yup

[Gabi Hayes]

3. sweet!!! takes me back to this:

the original reality show; about a year after I got interested in politics, thanks to HS Thompson's Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail

all aboard the schadenfreude express, at least for now.

[rjsquirrel]

4. He's getting desperate and angry

Perfect. Hold on until the convention though!

He is the price the GOP pays for all they've done.

It will be funny if Hil hammers him with how much she leads in the polls and how that makes him a LOSER in the debates the way Trump did in his primary debates. He won't be able to stand being mocked as a loser by a woman and he will lash out and destroy himself.

Fuck him.

[PJMcK]

12. Should be a good show! (n/t)

[RAFisher]

5. I wouldn't be surprised is the next poll shows Clinton ahead in Georgia

Some polls last month showed Trump with only a 1 point lead in Georgia. And not surprisingly Trump is stepping up the narcissistic delusions.

That slowdown in support seemed evident on Wednesday when Trump spoke at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, which holds less than half the audience he commanded during his last appearance in Atlanta in February. “This place is packed,” he said, shielding his eyes against stage lights. “We have people outside who couldn’t get in. Does anybody want to give up their seat?”

Apparently Trump could not see the hundreds of empty seats in the theater’s second level. A similarly reduced crowd showed up at a recent campaign stop in Virginia.

[Person 2713]

10. Plus Trump screwed with this growing voter group in GA. I wouldn't be surprised either if Clinton

pushed ahead
http://www.southernstudies.org/2016/03/young-latino-voters-a-growing-force-in-southern-su.html

[gratuitous]

6. I'm not knocking the post

But I wonder why this sort of reporting has to come to us through The Guardian rather than our home-grown news outlets? Why aren't the popular media talking about Trump's shrinkage?

[PSPS]

8. Because the mirage of a "horse race" = viewers = advertisers = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Eugene]

9. Some American news outlets acknowledge it in a less prominent way,

sometimes after the foreign press points it out to them.

Trump on mass shooting: 'It's going to happen again and again and again' (WXIA)

http://www.11alive.com/news/local/trump-in-atlanta/244979545

The Hill also noted smaller crowds in Virginia.

[Gabi Hayes]

14. cnn or msnbc said it was about 2000 out of a 12000 seat

arena.

they pulled back the cameras to show the gaping maw of empty seats

not any other commentary on shrinkage

[Cirque du So-What]

7. Shrinkage is never good

His crowds, his hands, his...WHEREVER.

[unc70]

11. From my hotel across the street, anemic attendance

I spent last night in a hotel across Peachtree from the Fox Theater. Had no idea Trump was coming until I looked out my windows this morning and saw the line with all the red caps. There were maybe 3-400 in line along the stree waiting to get in when they opened the doors a bit after 10:00. There was a trickle of new arrivals after that -- maybe 5 or so a minute, max.

From hotel staff and what I saw, there were probably only around 1500 unless there was a HUGE surge at the last minute. (The Fox seats 4600.)

There weren't many protestors, either. Maybe a few dozen. Only about ten when the police moved them to the side of the street opposite the Trump supporters.

The main discussion at the hotel was how different a Bernie crowd would be, and how it was almost an insult for Trump to be there in Midtown.

[greymattermom]

13. His fans are about 20-30 miles north of there

and don't like to travel to "Atlanta"