Trump Lied About His Crowd Size—Again
JVL and Will Sommer give their takes on Trump’s kickoff event for the America 250 celebration and the president’s immediate lie that 45,000 people packed the National Mall and “nobody left” early.
JVL and Will Sommer give their takes on Trump’s kickoff event for the America 250 celebration and the president’s immediate lie that 45,000 people packed the National Mall and “nobody left” early. They dig into the crowd-size lies, the campaign-style speech at an official government event, Trump’s promises about the White House ballroom, and why the America 250 rollout already feels more focused on Trump’s image than America’s birthday.
Read Christopher Hooks in Harpers, “Happy Fucking Birthday”
As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams, and event archives exclusively for Bulwark+ members.
Add Bulwark+ Takes feed to your player of choice, here.
Join Bulwark+ to unlock the rest
Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you:
- Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell.
- Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast.
- Plus community chats and commenting features. Your support helps keep our work sustainable and available to those who cannot afford a membership. Cancel anytime.

