Former Donald Trump Aide Says They Hired Actors to Appear in 2016 Presidential Announcement, Despite Previous Denial

A former aide of Donald Trump says the former president did actually pay actors to appear in his 2016 presidential announcement.

A former top aide for Trump previously denied that people were paid to be featured as supporters in Trump’s 2016 campaign launch. But now, he’s reportedly walking back his statements, claiming Trump did, in fact, hire performers, according to Insider.

Trump’s presented a speech before a huge audience back on June 16, 2015, at his Trump skyscraper in New York City. At the time, many were skeptical of just how many people were actually fans and supporters of the shamed former U.S. leader.

“I remember thinking, ‘Man, I’m surprised he couldn’t even get people there. That seems insane,'” said Sarah Isgur, the deputy campaign manager for 2016 presidential candidate Carly Fiorina.

On top of inside sources saying Trump hired staged actors, The Hollywood Reporter released a report at the time saying Trump’s campaign allegedly paid people $50 to attend the launch. “It seemed strange,” Amanda Carpenter, former communications director for 2016 candidate Ted Cruz. “I was watching the coverage of ‘Oh, did they pay people to show up? Who were these people?'”