Donald Trump asserted that his Republican midterm convention in Dallas outperformed the kickoff of the NFL season in television ratings, despite no official audience metrics being available.

The president took to Truth Social on Thursday to promote the multi-day assembly, writing that the event drew substantial numbers even while competing with professional football.

“The Republican Midterm Convention last night, in Dallas, was a major, sold out hit, far bigger, better, and more important than anyone thought possible,” Trump wrote. “It was really something, streaming all over the place, and really big numbers, despite going up against the NFL. The overall numbers beat the NFL.”

He added: “The Arena, which was really nice, beat its own attendance records. The place was packed! There were thousands of people outside who couldn’t get in. Screens were provided. I guess people LOVE TRUMP POLITICS! I’ll be there again tonight to close out the show. Exciting “Stuff!” MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

Because the NFL has not yet released official ratings for the season opener, the president’s comparison could not be independently verified. Tracking viewership for the Dallas convention is also difficult because few major television networks broadcast the event, leaving audiences to watch via digital livestreams from outlets such as the Associated Press and The Blaze.

For comparison, approximately 28 million viewers tuned in to last year’s opening NFL game.

Wednesday night’s opener featured a game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, while Trump spoke at approximately 9 p.m. EST. He is scheduled to take the stage again on Thursday night, competing with an NFL matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams airing on Netflix.

The convention itself was organized to support Republican candidates running in tight midterm races. During his time at the podium, Trump promoted those candidates and boasted about his own administration, declaring at one point that he was not sure if the U.S. would exist if he had not been elected in 2024.

Addressing questions regarding the event later, the president defended attendance figures following reports that certain figures were skipping the gathering. As reported by Mediaite, Trump snapped at ABC News correspondent Mary Bruce prior to the Dallas event after she highlighted reports that several Republican candidates chose to avoid the convention over electoral fears.

“ABC fake news,” Trump said. “One of the worst — you are the worst of all, in my opinion. The reason that some people are not coming is we don’t have room for 500 politicians.

“We have room for the ones that have a close race, if they’re slightly behind or slightly ahead or tied. But we don’t have room for people that are 35 points up and don’t need to be there. We said stay back and campaign. Every politician that we’ve wanted to be there is there.”