MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace commented on what she described as a "rocky start" to President Donald Trump's kickoff for America's 250th birthday celebration, citing reports of attendees departing the National Mall event before Trump concluded his speech on Wednesday.
Wallace shared video from The Bulwark, a conservative organization, which she stated showed people leaving the rally while Trump was still speaking. Trump, who has previously expressed sensitivity about crowd sizes, subsequently posted on Truth Social, asserting that the event was "packed to the brim" and that "Everybody stayed right until the end of my Speech."
Jared Poland of The Bulwark, who recorded the footage of attendees leaving, also posted a photograph of an individual appearing to sleep on the grass during the speech. Poland told Wallace that "A lot of people got their picture of Trump and headed for the gates."
The event featured a military flyover, a performance by Lee Greenwood, and a speech by Trump. Late-night host Jimmy Fallon also addressed the rally, drawing a comparison to a "repeat, a rehash, not so A-list," according to Wallace. She found Fallon's commentary noteworthy, given his general tendency to avoid political commentary.
Wallace also played a clip of Trump urging fans to attend his upcoming July 4 speech, expressing concern that "fake news" would claim he did not fill the venue if there were empty seats. Wallace reacted with laughter to this statement, suggesting that Trump himself might be the cause of any unfilled spaces, rather than the media coverage.