Obama Blitzes Trump With Massive Crowd in Major Humiliation
Barack Obama significantly outdrew Donald Trump during dueling rallies on Wednesday night.
The tiny crowd at Donald Trump’s latest rally has been brutally compared to the much larger turnout Barack Obama enjoyed that same night.
Trump, 80, has been frantically touring America in an attempt to secure votes for the Republican Party next week, including two rallies in one day in Texas on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Trump headed to Ohio to support his man-crush Sen. Jon Husted and embattled Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running for governor. He selected the Shoemaker Center, an indoor athletic facility inside Ohio University’s Chillicothe campus.
Donald Trump walks on stage at the Shoemaker Center at Ohio University.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
The venue’s website said it has bleacher seating which can accommodate “approximately 2,400 spectators.” A damning photograph posted on X by NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Garrett Haake showed how small his chosen rally venue was.
Crowds at Wednesday's Democrat rally, left, compared to the Republican rally, right.
Barack Obama X/Getty
“I’ve covered dozens if not hundreds of Trump rallies, and I can’t recall him ever holding one in a room as small as this arena in Chillicothe, Ohio,” Haake posted. “It’ll be packed, and loud-but maybe 1,000 people will fit.”
The Trump campaign’s official War Room X account called Haake a “clown,” and said his photo was taken “4 HOURS before President Trump’s speech started.” In addition to sharing a photo with the 2,400-capacity room full of MAGA supporters, the War Room account shared a video showing “Patriots packed into the overflow crowd outside.”
A photo posted by USA Today reporter Jessie Balmert from the rear of the venue, behind the elevated media platform, showed how compact the room was.
Donald Trump at the 2,800 capacity Shoemaker Center at Ohio University on October 28.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
At the same time, Barack Obama headlined a campaign rally near Atlanta, Georgia, supporting the MAGA boogeyman Jon Ossoff, who is running for re-election to the Senate, and Keisha Lance-Bottoms, the Democrat running for governor of Georgia. The rally was held at The Arena at Southlake in Morrow, Georgia. The venue’s website lists its capacity at 8,000.
Footage and photos from the event showed the arena was at capacity, with more than three times as many people as Trump’s rally as even the upper seats were clearly filled.
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HuffPost senior White House correspondent S.V. Dáte shared an X post noting the “contrast” between the rally sizes.
Barack Obama shared a live feed from a venue in Georgia.
Barack Obama/X
Photos from outside the venue in Georgia showed thousands of people lined up to enter the arena—something Trump often claims is occurring at his rallies, even as empty seats are clearly visible while he speaks.
People wait in line for a rally with former US President Barack Obama at The Arena at Southlake in Morrow, Georgia.
ERIK S. LESSER/AFP via Getty Images
On Wednesday, Ossoff introduced Obama, who came on stage to U2’s “City of Blinding Lights,” which was his signature walk-on song during his presidency. U2 members Bono and The Edge performed the song at the opening of his Presidential Center in Chicago in June this year.
Barack Obama, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms hold a rally ahead of the midterm elections in Morrow, Georgia.
Edgar Su/REUTERS
After a wild reception from the audience, which he said made him “fired up,” Obama stated his experience in politics meant, “You can tell when an election comes along, that just feels a little different. An election where people are so ready for something new...everywhere you go, it feels like change is in the air.”
Even the bleachers were full for President Barack Obama.
ERIK S. LESSER/AFP via Getty Images
Trump’s previous rally in Ohio, on October 12, was held at the Covelli Center, which can accommodate up to 7,000 people. However, only around 3,000 people attended that rally, according to estimates by the Tribune Chronicle.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The crowd watches as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks on stage during a campaign rally at the Shoemaker Center at Ohio University on October 28, 2026 in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Despite the small capacity, Trump made a bizarre comment on Wednesday about the popularity of his rallies, claiming “every rally” was “totally sold out, with thousands of people that can’t get in.” Trump has previously referenced viewing screens erected outside venues for people unable to get inside.
The senior president then appeared to flash back over a decade, talking about how the media covered Bernie Sanders compared to him.
“I have 42,000 people, ‘Donald Trump showed up,’” Trump said, referring to how the media reported on him. “Bernie Sanders had 312 people, we counted ‘em. ‘Bernie Sanders had a very active crowd, tremendous crowd.’ I have 42,000 people, they refuse to acknowledge it.”
That figure appears to refer to a rally in Mobile, Alabama, in August 2015, which his team said drew 42,000 people. However, police and fire officials estimated the crowd at around 20,000.
The crowd watches as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks on stage during a campaign rally at the Shoemaker Center at Ohio University on October 28, 2026 in Chillicothe, Ohio. President Trump is rallying support for Republican candidates in Ohio ahead of the midterm elections.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Trump’s rally in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Tuesday was also slammed for its low capacity. Breck Worsham, a former Trump supporter who claimed that she once worked on Trump’s campaign, stated, “He’s gone from selling out football stadium-sized venues to high school gyms.”
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