Donald Trump and Bill O'Reilly's Tour Begins With Empty Seats in Florida—Report

Both Donald Trump and Bill O'Reilly touted huge crowds ahead of their "History Tour." But it kicked off at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, with many empty seats, according to local media.

"Massive crowd headed into FLA Live! The Trump/O'Reilly History show starts soon...," O'Reilly, the former Fox host, wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

"See you in Sunrise, FL, in a little while and tomorrow, Orlando," the former president said in a statement. "Big crowds!"

But the "cavernous" FLA Live Arena had many seats that remained empty, according to the Sun-Sentinel. The top level was closed off and those who had tickets for that area were "upgraded" to the lower bowl, the newspaper reported.

Pictures on social media showed the top tier of the arena completely empty, though it was not clear when they were taken, and empty seats dotted throughout the arena.

Trump entertained the crowd with comments mocking President Joe Biden, saying the United States was no longer great and repeating baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

"Our country in my opinion is no longer respected," he said, according to the Sentinel. "Every country in the world takes advantage of the United States."

He later added: "It's a horrible thing to say but I don't feel America, right now, is great."

At one point, Trump complimented his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, who he described as "smart and sharp."

"I liked him," Trump said of Obama, though he blamed him for causing "tremendous division" in the country."

Trump also told the crowd that he got along best with "tyrants" like Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while in office.

"The ones I did the best with were the tyrants," he said. "For whatever reason, I got along great with Putin, I got along great with President Xi of China. I got along with Kim Jong Un of North Korea... and isn't that good? Isn't that better than having a nuclear war?"

Trump also spoke about the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, when a mob of his supporters stormed the building in a bid to stop the certification of Biden's electoral victory. "There was love in the air," Trump said.

Trump and O'Reilly's tour will head to Orlando's Amway Center on Sunday, before visiting Texas, with stops at the Toyota Center in Houston and the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Newsweek previously reported that thousands of tickets for all four events were still widely available days before the tour began.

However, ones that did sell went for a minimum of $100 each and VIP and premium tickets went for several thousand dollars.

Trump's spokesperson has been contacted for comment.