SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
DAVID DRUCKER.
ALSO A CONTRIBUTING WRITER AT
"VANITY FAIR."
>>> WHAT THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN
HYPED WOULD BE A RAUCOUS RETURN
TO THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL FOR
PRESIDENT TRUMP TURNED OUT TO BE
A MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT FOR THE
CAMPAIGN.
WHILE THEY BOASTED THEY WOULD
FILL THE BANK OF OKLAHOMA CENTER
THAT SEATS MORE THAN 19,000
PEOPLE.
THE TULSA FIRE MARSHAL TELLS NBC
NEWS THAT 6,200 SUPPORTERS
FILLED THE GENERAL SECTION OF
THE ARENA.
TIM MURTAUGH BLAMES SMALL
NUMBERS ON THE RADICAL
PROTESTERS AND THE NEWS MEDIA
WHO SAID FRIGHTENED AWAY
ATTENDEES.
ACCORDING TO THE TIMES, SOME
USERS OF SOCIAL MEDIA SAID ON
SATURDAY NIGHT THAT TEENAGERS
HELPED KEEP ATTENDANCE DOWN BY
SEEKING TICKETS THEY DID NOT
INTEND TO USE.
TIKTOK AND TWITTER USERS POSTED
THEY REGISTERED FOR HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF TICKETS FOR TRUMP’S
RALLY AS A PRANK.
BUT TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER BRAD
PASCAL PUSHED BACK AGAINST THE
REPORT ISSUING A STATEMENT
SAYING THE CAMPAIGN WEEDED OUT
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF BOGUS CELL
PHONE NUMBERS AHEAD OF THE
RALLY.
BUT, QUOTE, THESE FOE ANY TICKET
REQUESTS NEVER FACTOR INTO OUR
THINKING FOR POSSIBLE CROWD
SIZE.
>> I THINK THEY SAID THESE ARE
GENERAL ADMISSION EVENTS, IF
THEY WANT TO GET INTO THE EVENT,
THEY CAN GET IN TO THE EVENT.
>> THEY HAVE TO HIT THE
DISCLAIMER, I DON’T KNOW IF THAT
MADE A DIFFERENCE.
MEANWHILE IN AN INTERVIEW ON FOX NEWS YESTERDAY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN
NEWS YESTERDAY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN
ADVISER MERCEDES SCLAP SAID THE
TURNOUT WAS LOWER BECAUSE
SUPPORTERS WERE WORRIED ABOUT
THE PROTESTS OUTSIDE TURNING
VIOLENT.
>> THE KEY IS TO UNDERSTAND, I
HAD THIS WITH MY OWN PERSONAL
FAMILY WHO LIVES NOT FAR FROM
TULSA.
THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE
PROTESTERS COMING IN.
THERE WERE PROTESTERS WHO
BLOCKED THE MAGs, SO WE SAW THAT
HAVE AN IMPACT IN TERMS OF
PEOPLE COMING TO THE RALLY.
>> THE FACT IS THE PRESIDENT
TALKS ABOUT THE ATTENDANCE AT
HIS EVENTS AS WE KNOW HE MADE A
BIG ISSUE OF THE ATTENDANCE AT
HIS INAUGURATION.
HE TALKS ABOUT HOW HE CAN FILL
AN ARENA AND JOE BIDEN CAN’T.
HE DIDN’T FILL AN ARENA LAST
NIGHT.
YOU GUYS ARE SO -- IF I MAY
FINISH, YOU GUYS ARE SO FAR-OFF
YOU PLANNED AN OUTDOOR RALLY,
THERE WASN’T AN OVERFLOW CROWD.
WATCHING THE COVERAGE, TALKING
TO MARK MEREDITH ON THE CROWD
TODAY, PROTESTERS DID NOT STOP
PEOPLE FROM COMING TO THE RALLY.
THE FACT IS THEY DIDN’T SHOW UP.
>> THEY DID.
THERE WERE PEOPLE AND FAMILIES
THAT DIDN’T WANT TO BRING THEIR
CHILDREN BECAUSE OF CONCERNS FOR
THE PROTESTERS.
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS
REPORTEDLY LEFT FUMING OVER THE
LACKLUSTER ATTENDANCE.
UPON HIS ARRIVAL ON "AIR FORCE
ONE" TRUMP WAS QUOTE FURIOUS AND
LAID INTO HIS AIDS FOR THE
SPARSE CROWDS.
FOR PEOPLE FAMILIAR WITH THE
EVENT SAID THE PRESIDENT WAS
STUNNED AND YELLED AT AIDES
BACKSTAGE WHILE LOOKING AT THE
ENDLESS ROWS OF EMPTY SEATS.
TWO WHITE HOUSE AND CAMPAIGN
OFFICIALS TELL THE ASSOCIATED
PRESS THAT TRUMP WAS UPSET THAT
HE WAS LED TO BELIEVE THAT HE
WOULD SEE HUGE CROWDS IN DEEP
RED OKLAHOMA.
ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NO SIGN OF AN
IMMINENT STAFF SHAKEUP, MEMBERS
OF TRUMP’S INNER CIRCLE
QUESTIONED HOW CAMPAIGN MANAGER
BRAD PASCAL AND OTHER AIDS
COULDOVER PROMISE AND UNDER
DELIVER.
THEY CALLED THE RALLY A DISASTER
AND AN UNFORCED ERROR THAT
HEIGHTENED TENSIONS AMONG SOME
OF THE PRESIDENT’S ADVISERS AND
CAMPAIGN AIDES.
>> JONATHAN LEMIRE, AS FANTASTIC
MR. FOX WOULD SAY THIS IS
AMATEUR NIGHT IN DIGXIE.
YOU HAVE A CAMPAIGN PUSHING THE
1 MILLION NUMBER REPEATEDLY,
WE’RE TOLD THERE’S GOING TO BE
RALLIES, OUTSIDE FESTIVALS, THIS
IS LIKE NOTHING WE’VE EVER SEEN.
THOSE WERE FALSE EXPECTATIONS
SET UP BY THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN
ITSELF.
QUESTION NUMBER ONE, HOW DID
THEY -- HOW DID THEY -- THE
CAMPAIGN SO BADLY MISCALCULATE
AND SECONDLY, WHAT DOES DONALD
TRUMP DO NEXT?
DOES HE RISK HAVING ANOTHER
RALLY WHERE HE HAS A WEAK
PERFORMANCE?
IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THE CAMPAIGN
HAS A LOT TO FIGURE OUT THIS
MORNING.
>> SO SATURDAY NIGHT IN TULSA
WAS MEANT TO BE A DEFIANT SHOW
OF FORCE FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP.
THEY WERE EXPECTING TO DRAW HUGE
CROWDS IN A DEEP RED STATE WITH
A VERY FRIENDLY --
TRUMP-FRIENDLY GOVERNOR IN
OKLAHOMA.
THEY WANTED TO SEND A SIGNAL
THAT AMERICANS COULD GO BACK TO
NORMAL.
IT WAS ANOTHER SIGN OF REOPENING
THE COUNTRY AMID A PANDEMIC.
THEY IGNORED THE HEALTH WARNINGS
OF THE PRESIDENT’S OWN
CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE AS WELL
AS STATE OFFICIALS BECAUSE THEY
THOUGHT THEY COULD DRAW A BIG
CROWD THAT WOULD NOT ONLY BE A
SIGN THAT THE PRESIDENT STILL
HAD THIS DRAWING POWER.
THEY THOUGHT IT COULD REASSURE
NERVOUS REPUBLICANS LOOKING AT
THE POLLS TRYING TO HOLD ONTO
THE SENATE.
AND THEY WANTED TO REENERGIZE
THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF WHO’S BEEN
SO OFF THE MARK WITH THE
PANDEMIC AND THE CLEARING OF
LAFAYETTE SQUARE AND SO ON.
BUT THEY GOT A LOT OF QUESTIONS
AND FACED A LOT OF EMPTY SEATS.
EVEN BEFORE THE PRESIDENT
TOUCHED DOWN, REMEMBER, SIX
MEMBERS OF HIS STAFF HAD COME
DOWN WITH THE CORONAVIRUS IN
TULSA WHILE PREPARING FOR THE
RALLY.
SHOWING THE VIRUS’ REACH COULD
GO INTO THE RANKS OF THE
PRESIDENT’S STAFF YET AGAIN.
THEY HOPED TO HAVE AN OVERFLOW
ROOM.
THEY HOPED TO DRAW OVER 100,000
PEOPLE.
YES, THERE’S DISCUSSION ABOUT
SOCIAL MEDIA PRANKS AND TIKTOK
TEENS.
AND CAMPAIGN ADVISERS I TALKED
TO SAY MAYBE THAT INFLATED SOME
OF THE NUMBERS BUT THEY STILL
THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO GET A
BIG CROWD BUT AT THE END OF THE
DAY, PEOPLE DIDN’T SHOW UP.
LEAVING THE PRESIDENT FURIOUS,
CAMPAIGN AIDES POINTING FINGERS
AT EACH OTHER.
AND THE QUESTION IS WHAT COMES
IN NEXT.
WE KNOW THE CAMPAIGN HAD
PREPARED THIS WEEK TO FINALIZE
THE DATE OF THE PRESIDENT’S NEXT
RALLY, MAYBE TWO.
HE IS GOING TO BE TRAVELING THIS
WEEK TO ARIZONA AND WISCONSIN
BUT THOSE ARE NOT FOR CAMPAIGN
EVENTS.
TOMORROW HE’S GOING TO VISIT HIS
BORDER WALL.
BUT RIGHT NOW IT SHOWS HIS REAL
VULNERABLES.
BEYOND DRAWING EMPTY SEATS IT’S
THE MESSAGE FROM THE RALLY
STAGE.
HE’S STILL SCRAMBLING AND
FUMBLING TO DELIVER STRONG,
CONCISE, EFFECTIVE ATTACKS ON
JOE BIDEN.
THERE WAS NO ATTEMPT, NO MESSAGE
OF NATIONAL UNITY.
HE DOWN PLAYED THE PANDEMIC AND
DID NOT MENTION THE NAME OF
GEORGE FLOYD EVEN ONCE.
>> IT WAS A RAMBLING, STRANGE
SPEECH EVEN BY DONALD TRUMP’S
STANDARDS.
AND IT SEEMED LIKE HE WAS
TESTING OUT MATERIAL, MOST OF IT
SEEMING TO FALL FLAT.
BOB COSTA YOU AND PHILLIP RUCKER
WROTE, THIS EVENT SYMBOLIZED THE
BELEAGUERED STATE OF THE TRUMP
PRESIDENCY AFTER JUNE 1ST, THE
PROBLEMS OF THE PAST SEVERAL
MONTHS THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE
DONALD TRUMP BREAKING OUT,
INSTEAD IT LOOKED MORE LIKE A
CAMPAIGN BROKEN DOWN.
WHAT HAPPENED?
>> FOR WEEKS NOW INSIDE THE
TRUMP CAMPAIGN, INSIDE THE
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE
THERE HAS BEEN A PUSH, AS
JONATHAN SAID TO WELL TO RETURN
TO RALLIES, A PRESSURE ON THE
PRESIDENT TO GET OUT THERE, TO
TELL HIS OWN STORY AND AT ITS
CORE, THE RETURN TO RALLY
POLITICALLY SPEAKING IS AN
EFFORT TO MAKE THIS ELECTION NOT
A REFERENDUM ON PRESIDENT
TRUMP’S RECORD BUT A CHOICE
BETWEEN HIM AND VICE PRESIDENT
BIDEN.
AND MANY OF THE PRESIDENT’S TOP
POLITICAL ADVISERS WERE HOPING
ON SATURDAY NIGHT THE PRESIDENT
WOULD TEST OUT LINE AFTER LINE
AGAINST VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN, TO
TEAR INTO HIS RECORD, HIS
PERSONA.
HE DID DO THAT BUT IT CAME 45
MINUTES TO AN HOUR INTO HIS
PRESENTATION ON TULSA.
AFTER AN EXTENDED RIFF ABOUT HIS
REMARKS AT WEST POINT TO THE
CADETS AND OTHER GRIEVANCES WITH
THE MEDIA.
THIS LEAVES LOGISTICALLY AND
POLITICALLY, THE TRUMP ORBIT
REELING AT THIS MOMENT ON MONDAY
MORNING NOT SURE WHAT TO DO
NEXT.
OLDER AMERICANS ARE VERY
CONCERNED, I’M TOLD BY TOP TRUMP
ADVISERS, ABOUT COMING TO THE
RALLIES, EVEN IF THEY WANT TO,
BECAUSE OF HEALTH CONCERNS.
NOT FEAR OF PROTESTERS BUT FEAR
OF HURTING THEMSELVES AND
CONTRACTING THE CORONAVIRUS.
SO MAYBE AIRPLANE TARMACS HAVE
TO BE THE FUTURE OF THE EVENTS.
AND THEY DON’T COME OUT OF TULSA
WITH A STINGING ATTACK ON BIDEN,
THE FOCUS INSTEAD ON THE CROWDS.
>> A COUPLE OF THINGS.
FIRST OF ALL APPARENTLY TRUMP
WAS REPORTEDLY ANGRY THAT THE
SIX ADVANCE TEAM MEMBERS WHO
CONTRACTED CORONAVIRUS, HE WAS
ANGRY THAT WAS RELEASED.
OBVIOUSLY HE TALKED ON STAGE
ABOUT NOT WANTING TO DO TESTING.
SO WE WOULDN’T GET MORE
INFORMATION.
WHICH IS DOWNRIGHT CRAZY AND
DANGEROUS AND, YOU KNOW,
OBVIOUSLY THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN
WOULD HAVE NEVER DONE THIS, BUT
THEY MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY TO
SOCIAL DISTANCE.
THEY HAD THOSE EMPTY SEATS.
THEY COULD HAVE SPREAD PEOPLE
OUT SO THAT MORE CORONAVIRUS
WOULDN’T BE SPREAD INSIDE THAT
ARENA, INSTEAD EVERYONE WAS
CRUSHED ON THE LOWER BANK OF
SEATS SO THAT IT COULD LOOK
FULL, WHICH WAS INCREASING THE
RISK, OF COURSE, THAT MORE
PEOPLE IN TULSA WOULD CONTRACT
THE VIRUS.
>> YOU HEARD WHAT THE PRESIDENT
SAID AT THE RALLY.
YOU HEARD HIM BRAGGING ABOUT
TAMPING DOWN TESTING.
>> WOW.
>> AND HIS CAMPAIGN AIDES
RUSHING OUT SAYING IT WAS A
JOKE.
ACTUALLY, IT MAKES THINGS WORSE
FOR 120,000 AMERICANS, LIKELY
150,000 AMERICANS DEAD BY THE
TIME OF THE CAMPAIGN ITSELF.
>> YEAH.
>> I THINK HISTORIANS ARE GOING
TO LOOK BACK, POLITICAL
SCIENTISTS ARE GOING TO LOOK
BACK AND ASK WHY THIS PRESIDENT,
AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, DECIDED
THAT HE WAS GOING TO RUN AGAINST
A PANDEMIC.
BECAUSE HE’S NOT RUNNING AGAINST
JOE BIDEN.
HE’S NOT RUNNING AGAINST
PROTESTERS.
HE’S RUNNING AGAINST A PANDEMIC
AND HAS SAID TIME AND AGAIN IT
WAS ONE PERSON COMING IN FROM
CHINA, IT WAS 15 PEOPLE, IT WAS
GOING TO GO AWAY, IT’S NOT
COMING BACK IN THE FALL.
IT IS COMING BACK IN THE FALL.
IT’S COMING BACK RIGHT NOW.
WE HAD SO MANY PEOPLE.
A LOT OF MY FRIENDS THAT GOT OUT
CROWING ABOUT RON DESANTIS,
WHERE DOES HE GO FOR HIS
APOLOGY?
NOWHERE.
HE GOES THE SAME PLACE A
BASEBALL COACH GOES IN THE
SECOND INNING OF A GAME FOR AN
APOLOGY.
THIS IS, AS EVERY DOCTOR WHO
KNOWS -- OR SCIENTIST OR
EPIDEMIOLOGIST KNOWS WHAT
THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT, THIS IS A
NINE-INNING GAME.
WE’RE NOT EVEN HALFWAY THROUGH
THE GAME BASED ON THE SMARTEST
MINDS IN AMERICA, WHO DONALD
TRUMP HAS IGNORED TO DISASTROUS
RESULTS, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR
SENIOR CITIZENS.
FLORIDA’S NUMBERS ARE HIGHER
THAN THEY’VE BEEN.
RON DESANTIS IS ADMITTING
HIMSELF IT’S NOT THE TESTING
MAKING THE NUMBERS GO UP.
IT’S THE FACT THAT MORE PEOPLE
ARE GETTING CORONAVIRUS.
SO DONALD TRUMP HAS SET HIMSELF
UP AS A MAN WHO’S DECIDED HE’S
GOING TO RUN AGAINST A PANDEMIC
AND TELL PEOPLE THAT THE
PANDEMIC IS GOING TO MAGICALLY
GO AWAY.
>> HE’S ASKING THOSE 6,200
PEOPLE TO JOIN HIM IN HIS
FANTASTICAL THINKING WITH
120,000 PEOPLE DEAD AND WITH
THIS VIRUS SPREADING THAT IT’S
GOING TO FADE AWAY.
THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT HE ASKED
TO CLICK ON THE DISCLAIMER THAT,
JUST IN CASE THEY GOT IT AT THIS