Fact Check: Did Trump plan a 'Pro-Kings' rally that was attended only by 14 people?

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KENTUCKY:  With the midterm elections only a few days away, a rumor began circulating on social media platforms claiming that President Donald Trump had planned a ‘pro-kings’ rally as part of his campaign, but only 14 people showed up. The claim has sparked mockery and speculation from online users.

Claim: Only 14 people turned out at Donald Trump's rally

According to a viral Facebook post, Trump was reportedly “apoplectic with rage” on Saturday after a tiny crowd showed up for his heavily publicized “Pro-Kings” rally. 

The post further states that an advance team led by Eric Trump had scheduled the event at Lexington, Kentucky’s Kroger Field, a stadium with a 61,000-seat capacity, but later engaged in what was called “an orgy of finger-pointing” after only 14 people turned out. 

The post concludes by stating that Trump later took to Truth Social and called the minuscule Pro-Kings crowd a “total disgrace,” adding, “Especially this Year, when we’re celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Last Time we had a King!” 

The post has garnered hundreds of thousands of views as of this writing, with many appearing to believe the claim.

Fact Check: No such 'pro-kings' rally has taken place

The claim, however, is false, as there is no evidence of Trump planning such a rally ahead of the midterm elections. Hence, the claim that only 14 people turned up at a 61,000-seat stadium in Kentucky is baseless.

There are also no posts on Trump’s Truth Social account blaming people for not turning up to the rally or calling them a “total disgrace.” A search of his official social media accounts yielded no results that match the text in the post.

Additionally, the claim originated from a Facebook page called ‘Andy Borowits,’ which is affiliated with an online satirical newspaper called ‘The Borowits Report.’ Hence, the claim was intended as satire made for the sake of engagement.

Donald Trump jokes about heckler's mother

The claim was based on Trump turning an interruption at his Saturday Kentucky rally into a joke about a protester’s mother, suggesting she would punish her son for disrupting the president’s speech.

“They get paid to do that. They pay them $250,” he said, before turning to the heckler’s family. 

“The mother, especially if she’s a Kentucky mother, she slaps the hell out of them and says, ‘I voted for that man. Don’t you ever do that again.’”