It apparently took a casting call to make a presidential announcement, according to The Hollywood Reporter:
Donald Trump’s big presidential announcement Tuesday was made a little bigger with help from paid actors — at $50 a pop.
New York-based Extra Mile Casting sent an email last Friday to its client list of background actors, seeking extras to beef up attendance at Trump’s event.
“We are looking to cast people for the event to wear t-shirts and carry signs and help cheer him in support of his announcement,” reads the June 12 email, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. “We understand this is not a traditional ‘background job,’ but we believe acting comes in all forms and this is inclusive of that school of thought.”
The pay was listed as $50 for fewer than three hours of work. According to the email, Extra Mile was reaching out to potential extras in partnership with Gotham Government Relations and Communications, a New York-Based political consulting group that has worked with Trump in the past. Gotham GR had no comment.
Trump’s campaign manager denied the report when contacted by THR, saying “Mr. Trump draws record crowds at almost every venue at which he is a featured speaker. The crowds are large, often record-setting and enthusiastic, often with standing ovations. Mr. Trumps message is ‘make America great again.’ ”
Trump to Bloomberg News in an interview today that despite his success in the business world “I hear some pundit or some person say, he doesn’t deserve to be on the stage with a senator.”
“A senator is nothing, and I’m not saying — or senators are nothing, I’m saying certain people are zeroes, and I’m not supposed to be on the stage with these people? I mean, give me a break,” he said.
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