Crowd sizes at rallies for both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as their vice presidential candidates, have become talking points in recent weeks leading up to the presidential election.
On Aug. 14, Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance campaigned in Byron Center, Michigan. Viral social posts claim the rally was sparsely attended and include a photo that shows fewer than 20 people in the stands.
VERIFY was tagged by a follower on Threads and asked if the photo shows the real crowd size at Vance’s rally.
THE QUESTION
Were there fewer than 20 attendees at JD Vance’s rally in Michigan?
THE SOURCES
- Photos published by the Associated Press
- C-SPAN broadcast of Vance’s Aug. 14 rally in Michigan
- Reporting by VERIFY partner station WZZM
- Reporting by The Detroit News
- Facebook post by Cordes Inc., where the event was held
THE ANSWER
No, the JD Vance rally in Michigan didn’t have fewer than 20 attendees.
WHAT WE FOUND
There were more than 20 people at Vance’s rally in Byron Center, Michigan, on Aug. 14. The photo that has gone viral with posts that suggest otherwise only shows a small section of the crowd at the rally.
According to The Detroit News, there were a few hundred people in attendance at Cordes, Inc., the family-owned trucking company where the rally took place. The original photo that has been shared out of context on social media was taken by a freelance photographer, Chris Dumond, for The Detroit News.
Photos taken by The Associated Press (AP) confirm there were more than 20 people in attendance at the rally. This photo shows a crowd surrounding the stage. In both the AP’s photo and in the one being shared on social media, the same people can be seen on the bleachers, but the AP’s photo also includes a much larger crowd surrounding them.
Footage from VERIFY partner station WZZM also shows a larger crowd at the trucking company than depicted in the viral photo. C-SPAN’s broadcast from the rally shows the same.
Cordes, Inc., posted about Vance’s visit on its business Facebook page. In this photo, the area where the bleachers were set to the right of Vance’s stage can be clearly seen, further confirming the photo that went viral only showed a portion of the crowd – not the entire crowd.
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