Joe Biden continues to be plagued by small crowds.

The former vice president acknowledged he took a drubbing in Monday’s Iowa caucuses, where the most recent partial results have him in fourth place.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” he said in New Hampshire, “We took a gut punch in Iowa.”

The scene in Somersworth was very small.

Kind of an odd set-up, with @JoeBiden’s podium set up round-robin style with only two rows of seats surrounding him. That’s forced parts of the crowd to spill behind the press section. pic.twitter.com/Tt1zKN4nMK

— Nikki Schwab (@NikkiSchwab) February 5, 2020

“Kind of an odd set-up,” Daily Mail reporter Nikki Schwab noted,  “with Joe Biden’s podium set up round-robin style with only two rows of seats surrounding him. That’s forced parts of the crowd to spill behind the press section.”

Some tried to put a more positive spin on it.

Former Ambassador Terry Shumaker claimed a “large crowd” greeted Biden and gave him “thunderous applause” when he said “he will never bow down to Vladimir Putin”.

On the campaign trail in Somersworth, NH, ⁦@JoeBiden⁩ tells large crowd that he will never bow down to Vladimir Putin to thunderous applause #Biden2020 #FITN pic.twitter.com/ul9a6Tw2mx

— Terry Shumaker (@terryshumaker) February 5, 2020

“This isn’t the first time in my life I’ve been knocked down. Unlike Donald Trump and many of you here, I’ve never been given anything in my life except great parents and great values,” he said.

“I’m counting on New Hampshire,” he added, “we’re gonna come back.”