Trump & O’Reilly’s ‘History Tour’ Begins In Florida With Sparse Crowds

Ex-President Donald Trump and disgraced former Fox host Bill O’Reilly have begun a short run of speaking tour stops through Florida and Texas dubbed the “History Tour,” to lower-than-expected crowds in states where Trump has held massive rallies in the past.

The first event of the tour was held at Florida’s FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, which is home to the Florida Panthers NHL team. While Trump boasted about the “Big crowds!” of the event in a statement through an aide’s tweet, a different scene was captured by Sun-Sentinel investigative reporter Britney Wallman, who attended the event.

Wallman snapped photos of a rather thin crowd before and during the event, and later reported in the Sun-Sentinel that, “The top-level was closed, and ticket buyers were ‘upgraded’ to the lower bowl.”

Wallman also noted that attendees paid “$138 or more” for tickets, with others paying into the thousands for VIP benefits.

She also quipped in the same thread, “If you’re looking for me in the arena, I’m the one in the mask.” With masks and vaccinations becoming an increasingly political issue, it’s not surprising that many attendees appeared unmasked in Wallman’s photos.

On the next tour stop at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, a video from rally attendee Jared Caban showed that this event was far from sold-out as well.

This is a stark contrast from previous events held at this exact same venue by Trump, including a 2019 rally pictured below.

Slow ticket sales for this speaking tour had been reported on as early as July of this year. It’s hard to determine whether the sparse tour attendance can be chalked up to just COVID-19 apprehension, or a weakening of Trump’s popularity in general.

Trump & O’Reilly’s tour will be heading to Houston next, and then they will wrap up with a closing date in Dallas.