Trump calls for media arrests over rally coverage

President Donald Trump called for The New York Times and other media outlets to be arrested over their coverage of rally attendance, while disputing reports of empty seats at his Ohio event and asserting that the venue had been full. In posts on Truth Social on Monday, Trump accused news organizations of dishonesty and said thousands of people had been turned away from the Ohio rally. He also argued that attendees moved from upper sections toward the main floor after his speech began, which he said explained images of vacant seats. Those claims were not supported by independent attendance or venue records in the accounts available. Reports and photographs described empty seating in upper sections at the Ohio event. Trump rejected that interpretation, saying the venue was full, including its upper sections. The available information does not establish a verified attendance total or determine whether people moved as he described. The dispute also involved a possible conflation of coverage of two separate rallies. Trump’s post cited a description of upper sections being almost completely empty as if it referred to Ohio.