### Declining Crowds Mark Trump's Campaign Finale

In the final week leading up to Election Day, Donald J. Trump's campaign events have seen a noticeable decline in attendance, raising questions about the former president's once-commanding influence. Trump, often eager to highlight the enthusiasm of his supporters and the scale of his rallies, now faces a reality where empty seats and early exits are becoming more common.

During a rally on the last Monday before Election Day, held at the Dorton Arena in Raleigh, N.C., the enthusiasm didn’t match Trump’s previous standards. Several dozen seats behind the stage remained vacant even as he began his speech about an hour later than planned. The arena, with a couple of thousand attendees, exhibited rows of empty seats toward the back, and there was a distinct absence of the usually long lines outside.

This trend wasn't isolated to Raleigh. In Greensboro, N.C., Trump's campaign resorted to curtaining off the upper bowl of a venue that Vice President Kamala Harris had previously managed to fill. Attendance in the lower section was also sparse. A similar scene unfolded at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, where many sections flanking the stage remained empty during his rally last Friday.

It's important to note that crowd size might not be the most accurate measure of political support, especially in states that Trump has visited frequently in this campaign. His recent Greensboro rally was his second in the city within two weeks. Additionally, North Carolina has witnessed record-breaking early voter turnout, with the state's Board of Elections reporting nearly 4.5 million votes cast during early in-person voting.

As Trump's third presidential bid winds down, the dwindling crowds serve as a stark contrast to the massive turnouts of his previous campaigns, reflecting perhaps a shift in the political landscape or voter behavior.