- President Donald Trump falsely claimed there were “no empty seats” at the Republican Party midterm convention in Texas despite photographs showing a largely empty upper section in the arena.
- The president accused news outlets of manipulating coverage by photographing empty seats when attendees briefly stepped away to use the bathroom.
- Vice President JD Vance also addressed the convention and sharply criticised a protester who interrupted his speech while waving a Mexican flag.
- Photographs from earlier in the day showed that Vice President Vance also spoke to an arena with significant empty space in the upper seating area.
- The exaggerated crowd size claim is part of a longstanding pattern by President Trump, who has previously made similar false assertions about his rallies and inauguration.
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