After New York Times correspondent Katie Rogers reported that “several areas of an upper deck were empty” by the time Trump finished speaking at his October 3, 2026 rally at Butler High School in Vandalia, Ohio, a venue with a capacity of 4,500, Trump said reporters should be jailed. “The New York Times, and many other Artificial Media Outlets, should be arrested for their dishonesty and disservice to our Country,” he posted on October 5, insisting there were no empty seats and that “thousands of people had to be turned away.”
No action followed the post. It is the latest in a series of calls by the president to punish news organizations for their coverage (see Trump Told a New York Times Reporter on Air Force One That His Iran War Reporting Was 'Sort of Treasonous' and Trump Bans CNN, MS NOW and Politico From the White House, and the Next Morning the Secret Service Took Their Reporters' Badges). The rally is the same one at which he said he would not help Ohio's Democratic governor candidate if she won (see At an Ohio Rally a Day After Approving a Disaster Declaration, Trump Says He Is 'Not Going to Help' Democrat Amy Acton if She Wins, Then Adds 'Probably').