America’s 45^th President of the United States, Donald Trump, is known for his promotional abilities. Where controversy arises is when fact meets fiction. An inflated number or three have caused Trump consternation during his political career, whether it is an unrealistic inauguration number or a support rally in Nashville, Tennessee that simply cannot hold as many people as claimed. As Trump’s latest attendance controversy arises from a long-time pro wrestling building, Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium, let’s look at 4 attendance fibs related to Trump’s participation in the WWE:

1.While promoting the anticipated Battle of the Billionaires at Wrestlemania XXIII, Trump claimed that an appearance in Portland, Oregon drew 30,000 fans. At capacity, the home arena of the Portland Trailblazers could only hold 20,000 (let alone that the wrestling screen and ramp for Monday Night Raw would eliminate many more seats).

2.Trump claimed that his main event appearance at WrestleMania in Detroit would hold more than 100,000 fans (in an arena set up for 78,000). The actual attendance for WrestleMania was 74,687

3.In a press conference appearance as storyline owner of Monday Night Raw (much to Wall Street’s consternation) at a Wisconsin Airport, Trump speculated that 22,000 fans could be in attendance that evening at the Resch Center ; in fact the arena has a seating capacity of 10,200 (further reduced with the Monday Night Raw setup featuring a Jumbotron and entrance ramp).

4.Donald Trump was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in a sold out Madison Square Garden, the night before WrestleMania. WrestleMania weekend, including the highest profile WWE Hall of Fame event in its history, resulted in the highest number of traveling fans attending events in the company‘s history. Trump‘s book Great Again: How to Fix Our Crippled America claimed that 25,000 people attended the event, a figure far above MSG‘s true capacity of 20,000 (again without a stage setup that required seating for several thousand less).

Vince McMahon, WWE impresario, long known for his inflation of live event attendance and a man who considers any statistics shared within the context of his programs as pure entertainment, was likely proud.

Lavie Margolin is the author of TrumpMania: Vince McMahon, WWE and the making of America’s 45th President. Tweet the author:  @Laviemarg