Empty seats at RNC midterm convention? Here's what photos and videos reveal vs Trump's claim

The Republican National Committee's first-ever midterm convention in Dallas was designed to rally GOP voters ahead of the November elections and highlight President Donald Trump's political agenda. However, images and videos from inside the American Airlines Center showed noticeable empty seats before Trump delivered his first speech at the two-day gathering.

The convention is taking place as Trump faces weak polling numbers among Americans concerned about the economy, the war in Iran and his administration's approach to immigration. With the midterm elections expected to serve as a referendum on the current administration, Republicans are increasingly focused on the possibility of losing control of the House and Senate. Such a result could make the final two years of Trump's presidency significantly more difficult. Photos and video footage from the arena showed large sections of the upper deck with relatively few spectators at different points during the convention's opening day.

Also Read: Trump speaks live, but viewers stay away: Only a few thousand tune in to president's speech at RNC

RNC convention attendance

The RNC said the American Airlines Center can accommodate 21,000 people and that 20,000 attendees were expected at the convention. That figure suggested the arena should have been nearly full if the expected crowd attended the first day. Trump had also described the event as "sold out" ahead of the convention. "Everybody wants to come to the convention," Trump said.

What did John Fetterman say at the RNC midterm convention?

One of the convention's most unexpected moments came from Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman. Fetterman appeared in a prerecorded video message shown to attendees before Republican Senator Dave McCormick took the stage. In the message, Fetterman identified himself as a "common-sense Democrat" and praised McCormick for his work on behalf of Pennsylvania. His appearance was unusual because it marked a rare occasion in which a Democratic senator participated in programming at a major Republican Party event.

"Why am I here talking to you today? Because, well, I'm a common-sense Democrat," Fetterman said in the video. He also said he would "always stand with America" and would "always reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life."

Don't anybody go to bathroom: Trump

Trump also took aim at the news organizations covering the convention, joking that they could focus on an empty seat left behind by someone who had briefly gone to the bathroom and portray it as evidence that the president was unable to fill the arena. "So please if you don't mind, don't anybody go to the bathroom," Trump said. Trump's remarks reflect his long-running criticism of media coverage of the size of his political crowds. He has repeatedly accused news organisations of portraying his events as less well attended than he believes they were.