Trump's Madison Square Garden rally had around 20,000 attendees | Fact check
The claim: Nearly 200,000 people attended Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally
An Oct. 27 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) includes a screenshot of Right Side Broadcasting Network's livestream of former President Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden that day.
"Almost 200,000 people in MSG!!!" reads the caption on the post.
Other versions of the claim, including one from a New Zealand news outlet, spread widely on Instagram and X, formerly Twitter.
More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page
Our rating: False
Madison Square Garden’s capacity for the event was less than 20,000 people, several news outlets reported. Its maximum capacity is 21,000, according to a legal filing by the company that owns the venue.
Trumps say thousands more wanted to attend rally
The number of seats at the venue varies by event, but no gathering could accommodate 200,000 people.
Madison Square Garden's maximum capacity is "approximately 21,000 seats," according to Madison Square Garden Entertainment's annual report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed in August.
The venue had a 19,500-person capacity for the Trump rally, outlets including Paste BN and The Hill reported. The Trump campaign said all of the tickets were claimed, according to Reuters.
Speakers at the event said the demand for tickets far exceeded the venue's capacity, referencing the thousands of supporters who reportedly lined the streets outside.
"And then we have all of the people that could fill it up 10 times," Trump said after describing Madison Square Garden as an "incredible arena."
Eric Trump also said "almost 200,000 people tried to get into this event tonight” during his speech.
Fact check: 14th Amendment doesn't ban felons from taking office
Paste BN has debunked an array of claims related to Trump rallies, including false assertions that an image showed the crowd in New York ahead of the Madison Square Garden rally, that Trump said 35,000 people attended his May rally in the Bronx and that Trump shared a doctored photo of a rally showing the same attendees in multiple places.
Paste BN reached out to the Trump campaign and the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Check Your Fact also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
- The Hill, Oct. 28, Trump boasts about New York rally amid furor over Puerto Rico joke
- Reuters, Oct. 28, Trump headlines Madison Square Garden rally after vulgar, racist remarks from allies
- Paste BN, Oct. 28, Trump’s NYC rally sparks backlash after comedian calls Puerto Rico ‘island of garbage’
- Madison Square Garden Entertainment, Aug. 16, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Form 10-K
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.
Paste BN is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.