Trump Claims His Rally Drew More Than MLK's Historic Speech

As it has recently become known at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate, former President Donald Trump said that his rally on January 6 was attended by more people than the 1963 speech by Martin Luther King Jr. In particular, the politician stated, “Nobody has spoken with bigger crowds than me… If you look at Martin Luther King, in certain cities and towns I have a bigger crowd than he ever had.” Despite the fact that the politician spoke at the event before the storming of the congress, the obscene comparison impressed many because of the historical significance and the extent of the audience for the speech of King. Thus, the politician placed his rally at a political moment that ended with the assault on the Capitol against a critical event for the country, which concerned equality and civil rights.

Such statements draw attention to the question of what the contrast of such different contexts entails and what is the purpose of comparing them at the moment, when the political situation in the country is no longer the same. As the population makes more diverse interpretations of these two events, the notion of leadership and holding rallies will be reconsidered.