Misleading turnout claims fueled by early Democratic convention photos
Conservative influencers on social media are claiming images show a nearly empty arena for the first night of the Democratic National Convention. But this is misleading; the photos are from the start of the event, which ran for several hours and filled up by primetime.
"Dismal DNC crowd. Not even half full," says an August 19, 2024 post from Donald Trump supporter Juanita Broaddrick, who accused former president Bill Clinton of rape decades ago and has repeatedly spread misinformation.
Broaddrick's post includes two photos from the first day of the four-day gathering showing rows of empty seats in the United Center, where Democrats convened to officially nominate Vice President Kamala Harris to take on Trump in November's presidential election.
Similar posts featuring either or both of the DNC pictures ricocheted across X and other platforms, amplified by prominent Trump allies such as campaign advisor Alex Bruesewitz and 2016 campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Some compared them to shots of a packed Republican National Convention in July.
The claims also spread in Spanish.
But the posts are misleading, homing in on the earliest moments of an event that was packed by the night's end.
Images from the start of the convention
The first image fueling the "empty arena" claims was originally shared by Punchbowl News reporter Andrew Desiderio, reverse image searches revealed (archived here).
Desiderio posted it to X at 6:25 pm EST (10:25 GMT), minutes before livestreams show the convention kicked off (archived here and here).
DNC night 1. pic.twitter.com/UkGfjSXqy6
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) August 19, 2024
The second photo featured in many of the misleading posts shows Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison and Minyon Moore, the convention committee chair, on the jumbotron.
But the pair spoke to open the event. They took the stage at 6:33 pm EST (10:33 GMT), when there were still many vacant seats.
Live footage and photographs captured by AFP and other news media show the crowd grew throughout the night, as the lineup turned to major speakers such as First Lady Jill Biden and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
During a surprise speech Harris gave midway through the night, the building was packed. And after President Joe Biden concluded his address at the end of the night, broadcast cameras showed a panoramic view of the sea of supporters.
Desiderio, the Punchbowl News journalist, also shared of a photo from his vantage point of the raucous audience as Biden spoke (archived here).
Three AFP photographers who covered the event confirmed the venue was packed by the time the keynote speakers came on.
The Wall Street Journal reported that protests outside the convention against the war in Gaza delayed buses and security screenings for attendees. Two delegates told USA Today they spent hours trying to get into the arena.
AFP has debunked other misinformation about the convention, including here, here and here.
