Thousands to protest Trump at Capitol? Maybe not so many, organizers say

We’ve all expected more people to show up to a party than ended up attending.

But an anti-Donald Trump rally scheduled for Saturday at the state Capitol may have set the record for an overeager crowd estimate.

First, march organizers said 2,500 would be there, according to the state Department of Enterprise Services.

On Tuesday, they told the state, scratch that: there will be more like 300.

Maybe more Olympia residents like the president than they thought?

Or maybe they were just channeling Trump’s own crowd estimating talents?

Rally organizer Erin Syverson said she scrapped the original estimate because it’s hard to divine how many people will go to an event based on its Facebook page. She said many women’s marches across the country had bigger than expected turnouts.

For Syverson’s event? She said she could see from 80 to 1,000 — but “probably closer to 150.”

The rally is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday on the north steps of the Legislative Building. Protesters are demanding Trump release his tax returns. Similar rallies are happening around the country, according to the group’s website.

A Black Lives Matter march at 2 p.m. Saturday in Westlake Park in Seattle is focused in part on Trump’s taxes and the tax system.

Olympia’s event will have speakers, music, sing-a-longs and more, says the march’s Facebook page.

Polls have consistently shown a majority of Americans want Trump to release his tax returns. Some polls have shown as high as 74 percent of residents want them available for public scrutiny.

Trump has said only reporters care about his tax returns. Syverson disagrees.

“Well, we do care about this, and to prove it we’re going to march,” she said.

Just expect fewer of them.

This story was originally published April 11, 2017 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Thousands to protest Trump at Capitol? Maybe not so many, organizers say."