Despite being held in a state that has been reliably Democrat, a rally for the Republican former president set a record for New Jersey, a congressman said.
WILDWOOD, N.J.—Former President Donald Trump’s unusual speech on the beach on May 11 attracted tens of thousands of fans—a crowd of historic proportions for the Republican candidate in a state considered reliably Democrat.
“Welcome to the largest political rally in the history of the state of New Jersey … and we’re not going away!” Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) told rallygoers.
His remarks came shortly before President Trump took the stage and unleashed sharpened attacks against his Democrat opponent, President Joe Biden, particularly regarding his handling of the Israel–Hamas war and related protests on U.S. college campuses.
Mr. Van Drew, a local folk hero for his Democrat-turned-Republican status, is leading the charge to help President Trump and other Republicans win the Garden State in this year’s general election. In 2020, then-candidate Joe Biden won New Jersey by 16 percentage points. But President Trump won the conservative Wildwood area—Mr. Van Drew’s district—by 25 points.
Overhead photographs showed that the May 11 crowd filled much of a quarter-mile span between Mariner’s Pier and the Adventure Pier; attendance estimates varied widely, from 40,000 to 100,000.
A day after the rally, city spokeswoman Lisa Fagan told The Epoch Times that she has fielded dozens of inquiries seeking clarification about the crowd size.
Ms. Fagan, an experienced planner of large-scale tourism events for the city, said her estimate of 80,000 to 100,000 people included the surrounding area where President Trump’s speech could be heard, not just the rally site on the beach. People were listening to President Trump’s speech from the nearby boardwalk and hotel rooms, she said. The lower estimates, in the 40,000 range, were based on oceanside concerts held in the same space but with a different configuration.
She is consulting with the city’s economic development specialists to try to pin down more precise numbers. But she senses that “no matter what number we give, people will take issue with it.”
In any case, the Wildwood rally was the best-attended event thus far in the 2024 election cycle, a Trump campaign official told The Epoch Times. A month ago, President Trump drew about 42,000 people to a fairground in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.
By Janice Hisle
