Cops: Trump Issued 20K Tickets for 1.4K-Seat Venue

Police in Burlington, Vt., say Donald Trump's presidential campaign has given out 20,000 tickets for his event at a venue that has 1,400 seats. Security will be tight for Trump's scheduled visit Thursday to the lakeside city, hometown of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Seating at the downtown Flynn Center will be first come, first served, with Trump's speech scheduled for 7pm. City police say 6,500 people who were given tickets have confirmed their plans to attend, and it's likely many will be unable to get inside. Protests are expected.

Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo says he doubts Trump has taken the safety of police officers into account—and he's only getting away with it because he's a candidate. "If Phish was holding a free concert at the Flynn and gave away 20,000 free tickets, we would cancel the event out of public safety concerns," he tells the Burlington Free Press. "We are committed to accommodating the campaign because political speech is the very essence of the First Amendment." (Trump has been asking questions about Ted Cruz's citizenship.)