Biden speaks to a half-empty room at CNN Town Hall

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President Biden addressed a half-empty auditorium on Wednesday during a live event at CNN’s “town hall” in Ohio.

The more than a dozen empty rows were not apparent to viewers thanks to flattering shots that appeared to show a full, undisturbed crowd filling the front rows – in a striking visual display of normalcy after more than a year of COVID-19 restrictions.

But members of the White House traveling press pool shared photos from the back of the room, revealing that in fact the venue was far from crowded at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati.

Bloomberg News reporter Jennifer Epstein, who traveled with Biden as a press service representative, tweeted a picture of “[w]what CNN’s Biden Town Hall looks like from the back of the auditorium “

Voice of America reporter Steve Herman, travel radio pool reporter, tweeted a similar picture showing that the “[b]The back of the auditorium is empty.

Herman also posted a video showing other angles where spectators were running low on seats.

The image of empty seats was at odds with Biden’s attempt to project confidence to overcome the coronavirus pandemic, including his claim, “this is not a pandemic.”

President Joe Biden insists "this is not a pandemic, ”while discussing growing cases of COVID-19 from the Delta variant on CNN "city ​​Hall" an event
President Joe Biden Insists ‘This is Not a Pandemic’ While Discussing Rise in Delta Variant COVID-19 Cases at CNN’s ‘Town Hall’ Event
AFP via Getty Images

It is not known if the room was half full due to concerns about the virus or due to lack of public interest. A White House official referred an investigation to CNN.

CNN spokeswoman Lauren Pratapas told The Post: “It was a typical audience size for a CNN town hall.” She did not specify the reason for the small size of the crowd.

Former President Donald Trump routinely made fun of Biden during last year’s presidential campaign for drawing a small audience – even before the pandemic – compared to his own gatherings which typically featured tens of thousands of fans enthusiastic.

White House did not confirm if there were capacity limits during CNN "city ​​Hall" event with President Joe Biden.
The White House has not confirmed whether there are capacity limits at CNN’s “town hall” event with President Joe Biden.
AP Photo / Andrew Harnik

“Biden is coming to Florida, you have about 12, 13 people. You know, they do the circles. And he struggles to fill in the circles. Here we have probably about 30,000 people, ”Trump told a roaring crowd in Jacksonville, Fla. In September.



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