The crowd cheers for President Trump at his rally at Heartland Credit Union Arena on Monday.
Jaime Green
The Wichita Eagle
In our Reality Check stories, Wichita Eagle journalists dig deeper into questions over facts, consequences and accountability. Story idea? tips@wichitaeagle.com.
About 6,000 people attended President Donald Trump’s “Kansas Style” political rally in Park City on Monday, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
That’s how many people entered Heartland Credit Union Arena, which was at capacity at the start of Trump’s speech Monday evening. “Several hundred more” gathered outside, according to the estimates provided by the sheriff’s office.
Those numbers match what Wichita Eagle and Kansas City Star reporters and photographers saw Monday night and thousands fewer than Trump claimed during his speech, when he said there were “5,000 people standing outside watching a Jumbotron.”
The arena has 5,000 seats and a maximum capacity of 6,500 when floor seating is included. A large area reserved for cameras and reporters took up approximately 500 floor seats. By the conclusion of Trump’s more than 90 minute speech, several hundred seats appeared to be empty, but thousands stayed until the end.
Meanwhile, hundreds watched Trump deliver his remarks from outside the arena on a large screen.
People watch the later part of President Trump’s speech in Kansas outside of Heartland Credit Union Arena. Bryan Horwath The Wichita Eagle
The sheriff’s office said 11 people were kicked out of the arena and one protester was arrested near the designated “free speech area” outside the arena. Jail booking logs show a Wichita woman was booked on suspicion of violating “required obedience to lawful order of police officer or fireman.” She did not appear to be in custody as of 1 p.m. Tuesday.
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Chance Swaim covers investigations for The Wichita Eagle. His work has been recognized with national and local awards, including a George Polk Award for political reporting, a Betty Gage Holland Award for investigative reporting, two Victor Murdock Awards for journalistic excellence and a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. You may contact him at cswaim@wichitaeagle.com or follow him on X @byChanceSwaim.