Former President Donald Trump is lashing out over "fake news" reports of under-attended rallies, while claiming that his political events "never have empty seats."

Trump, the leading Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential election, has repeatedly boasted about his support and the size of his crowds since launching his political career. While his events are often filled with dedicated supporters, photos and video of some rallies have suggested that they are not always at capacity.

The former president blasted the media for publishing photos of empty seats, insisting that "thousands of people get sent away" from every Trump rally in a Truth Social post on Wednesday. He argued that images appearing to suggest otherwise were of "once fully occupied areas and seats" that had been cleared out due to supporters rushing the stage at the beginning of his rallies.