Trump takes dig at ‘fake news’ over empty seats with hilarious bathroom joke at RNC convention

DALLAS, TEXAS: President Donald Trump took a light-hearted jab at the press during his speech at the Republican Party's midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday, September 9. 

He suggested that reporters would pounce on any empty seat in the packed arena, even one left vacant for a bathroom break, as "evidence" that the venue was not full.

Trump headlined the opening night of the Dallas Republican convention and framed Democrats as extremists.

The rally-fundraiser underscored how deeply the party is tying its midterm campaign to Trump's personal appeal. 

Trump mocks press over empty seats at convention

"This place is packed," Trump told the crowd. 

"Do you think the fake news? You know what they're going to do? The fake news will go around and see that man up there, he's leaving for the bathroom. He'll be back in two minutes. They'll take a picture of his seat while he's gone. And they'll say, 'Trump did not fill up the arena! The arena was not filled. Look at the seat!'"

He delivered the line that drew the biggest laughs from the crowd: "So, please, if you don't mind, don't anybody go to the bathroom."

The outburst was classic Trump, an ad-libbed flourish he has honed at rallies and campaign events, needling the press and drawing laughter from the crowd throughout his remarks.

His audience laughed heartily as he worked the punch line for all it was worth before moving on to his next point.

Trump’s GOP convention draws high-energy crowd

The joke fit the loose, rally-style tone of the two-day event, the first-ever midterm-cycle convention the Republicans have held.

The event featured more than 50 speakers or presentations each night and, in Trump's words, was supposed to be "a RALLY like none other."

Unlike a presidential nominating convention, which happens every four years, no one is voting for a presidential nominee in Dallas, and the convention is more open to the public.

It allowed Trump plenty of leeway to indulge the populist streak that has characterized his presidential campaign, drawing cheers and support from the audience and punctuated by his characteristic sneers. 

Trump closed the opening night of an unusual Republican midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday, using his speech to argue that Democrats are extremists and to make the coming elections largely about himself.

The two-day event, described by Republicans as part rally and part fundraiser, comes as the party tries to lift enthusiasm before Election Day amid voters' economic concerns and dissatisfaction over the war in Iran.

The convention has been built heavily around Trump, even as many Republicans, including some in tight contests, have stayed away from it.