Days after the flopped event, it remains unclear what actually led to the low turnout, although a group of Trump advisers acknowledged to the Times that fears over the spread of the coronavirus in an indoor space likely played a role. But as aides rush to explain away the low turnout as a fluke, hundreds of teenagers on TikTok and many fans of Korean pop music are taking credit for the modest crowd size, claiming that it was the result of an elaborately staged prank designed to feign high demand for tickets.