TikTok users say they helped sabotage Trump rally with false registrations

[webfact]

TikTok users say they helped sabotage Trump rally with false registrations

By Elizabeth Culliford

 

A supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump shoots a video with his mobile phone from the sparsely filled upper decks of the arena as the president addresses his first re-election campaign rally in several months in the midst of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S., June 20, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis

 

(Reuters) - TikTok users took partial credit for inflating attendance expectations at a less-than-full arena at President Donald Trump's first political rally in months, held in Tulsa on Saturday.

 

Social media users on platforms including the popular video-sharing app have said they completed the free online registration for the rally with no intention of going. The New York Times reported that fans of Korean pop music were encouraging people to do the same.

 

Prior to the event, Trump's campaign manager Brad Parscale said there had been more than one million requests to attend. However, the 19,000-seat BOK Center arena had many empty seats on Saturday evening and Trump and Vice President Mike Pence canceled speeches to an expected "overflow" area outside.

 

A Tulsa Fire Department spokesman told Reuters the crowd was tallied at about 6,200 people.

 

Trump's campaign advisers had seen the rally as a way to rejuvenate his base and demonstrate support, at a time when a string of opinion polls have shown him trailing his Democratic rival, former vice president Joe Biden.

 

Oklahoma has reported a surge in new coronavirus cases in recent days, and the state's department of health had warned those planning on attending the event that they faced an increased risk of catching the virus.

 

The Trump campaign said entry was on a 'first-come-first-served' basis and no one was issued an actual ticket.

 

"Leftists always fool themselves into thinking they're being clever. Registering for a rally only means you've RSVPed with a cellphone number," Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said in a statement. "But we thank them for their contact information."

 

Parscale said in a statement the campaign weeds out bogus phone numbers and that they did this with "tens of thousands" at the Tulsa event in calculating possible attendance.

 

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat, responded with derision to a Twitter post by Parscale that blamed the media for discouraging attendees and cited bad behavior by demonstrators outside.

 

"Actually you just got ROCKED by teens on TikTok who flooded the Trump campaign w/ fake ticket reservations & tricked you into believing a million people wanted your white supremacist open mic enough to pack an arena during COVID," she tweeted on Saturday. "KPop allies, we see and appreciate your contributions in the fight for justice too," she added.

 

CNN reported on Tuesday that a TikTok video posted by Mary Jo Laupp, who uses the hashtag #TikTokGrandma, was helping lead the charge. The video now has more than 700,000 likes.

 

Fans of K-pop have been actively rallying around the Black Lives Matter movement on social media in recent weeks, taking over hashtags that opposed the movement and spamming a Dallas police department app that asked for evidence of illegal activity during the protests.

 

On Saturday evening there were some shouting matches and scuffles outside the event between around 30 Black Lives Matter demonstrators and some Trump supporters waiting to enter.

 

A Reuters reporter said that while police did temporarily close the access gates after protesters arrived at the rally perimeter, state troopers helped clear the area and the gates were reopened some three hours before the rally began.

 

(Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Daniel Wallis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-06-22

 

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[stevenl]

Isn't tiktok Chinese owned? Rant against Chinese political interference to be expected.

[metisdead]

A post using a trolling meme has been removed. 

[Mama Noodle]

Just imagine if there was widespread voting by mail and no voter ID - now tell me these lefties and liberals wouldn't take advantage of that like they tried to do with the Trump rally. 

[OneMoreFarang]

Let's not forget that millions of his supporters could have gone there without tickets. They could have lined the streets and assembled outside the hall. That obviously didn't happen.

It seems there is a little hope that the number of his supporters goes down - it's about time!

[Mama Noodle]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat, responded with derision to a Twitter post by Parscale that blamed the media for discouraging attendees and cited bad behavior by demonstrators outside.

 

"Actually you just got ROCKED by teens on TikTok who flooded the Trump campaign w/ fake ticket reservations & tricked you into believing a million people wanted your white supremacist open mic enough to pack an arena during COVID," she tweeted on Saturday. "KPop allies, we see and appreciate your contributions in the fight for justice too," she added.

 

Lord this woman is awful, but perfectly encapsulates liberalism and its hypocrisy. 

[OneMoreFarang]

Just now, Mama Noodle said:

tell me these lefties and liberals wouldn't take advantage of that like they tried to do with the Trump rally

How exactly did they "take advantage"?

Trump supporters could have come without ticket and some did that. But just very few...

 

[Mama Noodle]

2 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

How exactly did they "take advantage"?

 

They fraudulently filled out forms in an effort to try and troll a campaign. Says it right in the OP, you just gotta read it. 

[ehs818]

Same support level continues for this loser POTUS. Place holds 19,000 and only 6,200 actually showed up. About 32%, around the same as his overall support among voters. I hope he's voted out in November so they can get on with actual legislation about solving real problems.

 

[Tagged]

It is a "Deleted" circus, and it is now you understand the americans Wrestling admiration. Deleted what to say really? How can they fix this situation they now are in? A sinking ship literally said. And we are onboard with them as well, or we will be involved in this mess more than we would like to be, while Putin and China just can sit and wait for the right moment. No need to do nothing, since the Americans will autplay themselves because of pure stupidity. 

[Eric Loh]

Trump’s rally trolled by teen activists. Teens fighting back in a way they can. So apt. 

[simple1]

8 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

They fraudulently filled out forms in an effort to try and troll a campaign. Says it right in the OP, you just gotta read it. 

With the entire US security apparatus available to them, trump administration failed in basic security vetting process - Law & Order president - LOL

[Tagged]

32 minutes ago, simple1 said:

With the entire US security apparatus available to them, trump administration failed in basic security vetting process - Law & Order president - LOL

You have to understand, he mocked Cia FBI the secret police of police, so ? ???? 

[robblok]

The president of the US and the whole might of US law enforcement behind him outsmarted by some kids.  This is the best proof of Trump his incompetence ever. 

[cyril sneer]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

"Leftists always fool themselves into thinking they're being clever. Registering for a rally only means you've RSVPed with a cellphone number," Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said in a statement. "But we thank them for their contact information."

good to hear

[metisdead]

Posts using trolling memes and trolling videos have been removed. 

[Tagged]

33 minutes ago, cyril sneer said:

good to hear

There you go, thats the right attitude. Should elminate those leftish right? Once and for all! The world will be much better off, and safer for sure. 

 

And of course everyone who signed up and did not show, should have the same punishment whats so over, because they failed to come and see the great leader in action. 

[Marcous]

Parscale said it wasn't the case. I don't know why he would say that, maybe to avoid looking incompetent?

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/21/trump-tulsa-rally-scheme-k-pop-fans-tiktok-users

[Tagged]

15 minutes ago, Marcous said:

Parscale said it wasn't the case. I don't know why he would say that, maybe to avoid looking incompetent?

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/21/trump-tulsa-rally-scheme-k-pop-fans-tiktok-users

They want to put the blaim on the protesters. Easy to oncintue where he started putting blaim on different groups that really do not have anything to do with it, but it works. Have always been like that, so he just uses the old recipies for is own purposes. Divide and conquer

[Eric Loh]

16 minutes ago, Marcous said:

Parscale said it wasn't the case. I don't know why he would say that, maybe to avoid looking incompetent?

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/21/trump-tulsa-rally-scheme-k-pop-fans-tiktok-users

Not important how Parscale feel. Trump is humiliated big time and he wouldn't take kindly to that. Parscale's days are numbered.  

[Cryingdick]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

The president of the US and the whole might of US law enforcement behind him outsmarted by some kids.  This is the best proof of Trump his incompetence ever. 

 

It isn't as complex as running a caucus in Iowa with no interference. All government is incompetent when it comes to the interwebz. As Bush said the worldwide web is going to revolutionize the internet. 

 

I haven't see a government website that runs well in my entire life. Most look like Wordpress from the mid 90's.

[Mama Noodle]

2 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Trump’s rally trolled by teen activists. Teens fighting back in a way they can. So apt. 

 

Yep, teens ????

 

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/21/politics/tiktok-trump-tulsa-rally/index.html

[Eric Loh]

5 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

 

It isn't as complex as running a caucus in Iowa with no interference. All government is incompetent when it comes to the interwebz. As Bush said the worldwide web is going to revolutionize the internet. 

 

I haven't see a government website that runs well in my entire life. Most look like Wordpress from the mid 90's.

Maybe true. Only this time it <deleted> Trump's enormous ego.

[Cryingdick]

Teens would be more tech savvy than the elderly on this forum so mocking them for their age is a bit disingenuous to say the least.

[Foghorn]

The left is so scared they have to sabotage things to try get their own way , they know they would lose . Try be fair . Trump is so good for the American people 

[OneMoreFarang]

2 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

Yep, teens ????

 

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/21/politics/tiktok-trump-tulsa-rally/index.html

Not that we really needed more evidence but that shows clearly that the majority of TikTok users are smarter than POTUS and his team. No surprise. 

[Cryingdick]

1 minute ago, Eric Loh said:

Maybe true. Only this time it <deleted> Trump's enormous ego.

 

The funny part about it all is the government keeps threatening the tech companies in the USA. These are the only companies in the world that kept the USA running and helped shield the government's general incompetence from the world at large. 

 

You know because they have a plan for everything. I'm gonna go get me a beer.

[Cryingdick]

Just now, OneMoreFarang said:

Not that we really needed more evidence but that shows clearly that the majority of TikTok users are smarter than POTUS and his team. No surprise. 

 

Do you think Trump personally ran the booking system? Incompetence in the online space is endemic to most governments.

[OneMoreFarang]

2 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

Teens would be more tech savvy than the elderly on this forum so mocking them for their age is a bit disingenuous to say the least.

"tech savvy"? Like filling out an application form?

On second thought, to fill out those forms basic reading and typing skills are necessary. Is that something most Trump supporters have? I wonder.

[OneMoreFarang]

2 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

Do you think Trump personally ran the booking system? Incompetence in the online space is endemic to most governments.

Trump is responsible for the people who work for him.

As long as he selects incompetent yes-men he should not be surprised about the results.