Crowd estimates for Trump’s Heartland Credit Union Arena event

The crowd applauds President Trump during his rally at Heartland Credit Union Arena on Monday.

The crowd applauds President Trump during his rally at Heartland Credit Union Arena on Monday.

The Wichita Eagle

In our Reality Check stories, Wichita Eagle reporters dig deeper into questions about the facts, consequences and accountability. An idea for a story? 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 packed at the start of Trump’s speech Monday night. “Several hundred more” gathered outside, according to estimates provided by the sheriff’s office.

Those numbers match what reporters and photographers at the Wichita Eagle and Kansas City Star saw Monday night and are thousands less 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 space reserved for cameras and journalists occupied around 500 seats on the ground. At the end of Trump’s more than 90-minute speech, several hundred seats appeared empty, but thousands stayed until the end.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people watched Trump deliver his speech from outside the arena on a big screen.

People watch the final portion of President Trump's speech in Kansas outside Heartland Credit Union Arena.
People watch the final portion of President Trump’s speech in Kansas outside Heartland Credit Union Arena. Brian Horwath The Wichita Eagle

The sheriff’s office said 11 people were removed from the arena and one protester was arrested near the designated “free speech zone” outside the arena. Jail records show a Wichita woman was jailed on suspicion of violating “required obedience to the lawful order of a police officer or firefighter.” She did not appear to be in custody as of 1 p.m. Tuesday.

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Chance Swaim

The Wichita Eagle

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 Award for investigative reporting. You can contact him at cswaim@wichitaeagle.com or follow him on X @byChanceSwaim.

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