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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Has President Trump held the biggest rallies of any candidate in US political history?

By Christopher Hutton
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NO

Typically, before the coronavirus pandemic, President Trump's rallies drew from 5,000 to 15,000 supporters. In August 2015, 30,000 people gathered in Mobile, Alabama. In March 2016, 29,000 attended a rally in Cleveland.

Crowd sizes during the 2020 cycle were limited by concerns—and in some cases, laws and local mandates—about crowd sizes amid the coronavirus pandemic. A rally in Las Vegas held before the spring shutdown drew 15,000. Rallies during the fall were typically described as attracting thousands, not tens of thousands.

Other political candidates have drawn larger crowds in recent years. Texas senatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke attracted 55,000 attendees at a 2018 rally, appearing with Willy Nelson. A 2008 Denver rally for then-candidate Barack Obama turned out 100,000 people; his Chicago victory rally drew nearly 250,000.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Wikipedia: List of rallies during the 2016 Trump campaign
AL.com: How Trump's rally in Mobile still resonates a year later
WZAKCleveland: 29,000 attend Trump rally at Cleveland’s I-X Center
Washington Post: Yes, Donald Trump's crowds are big—but not quite as 'yuge' as he often claims
Nevada Independent: Trump rallies thousands in Las Vegas
El Paso Times: Beto O'Rourke-Willie Nelson fans pack Austin rally
Denver Post: Rally pulls record-setting crowd
WBEZ: Nearly a quarter of a million fill Grant Park for Obama victory rally
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Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.