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Trump's first rally since the coronavirus halted mass indoor gatherings is today in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Trump refused to cancel the rally, despite multiple warnings from health experts. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/06/19/trumps-tulsa-rally-stirs-fear-covid-19-super-spread-event/3214167001/
Trump refused to cancel the rally, despite multiple warnings from health experts. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/06/19/trumps-tulsa-rally-stirs-fear-covid-19-super-spread-event/3214167001/
The Tulsa World Editorial Board wrote an editorial titled: “This is the wrong time and Tulsa is the wrong place for the Trump rally” https://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/editorials/tulsa-world-editorial-this-is-the-wrong-time-and-tulsa-is-the-wrong-place-for/article_26388374-1747-5120-bc01-24b81c1b0c78.html
The editorial concludes: “When the president of the United States visits your city, it should be exciting. We think a Trump visit will be, but for a lot of the wrong reasons, and we can’t welcome it.”
Trump said last week: “We're going to be starting our rallies. The first one … will be in Oklahoma -- in Tulsa, Oklahoma. … They've done a great job with COVID...” https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=29&v=lyWegWd2qMI&feature=emb_title
Mike Pence falsely said on Tuesday, “Oklahoma has really been in the forefront of our efforts to slow the spread and in a very real sense, they flattened the curve.”
Trump said on Wednesday that the campaign would do temperature checks and give out face masks, “...We're doing a lot of things, but Oklahoma, one of the reasons we chose it is they've been very low in terms of, and they've done a really fantastic job.” https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-campaign-tulsa-officials-venue-quiet-on-protecting-rally-workers-2020-6
Tulsa County has seen daily growth in Covid-19, with 2,206 confirmed cases. Its curve has not flattened.
Dr. Bruce Dart, head of the Tulsa Health Department, said he recommended the rally be “postponed until it’s safer. We’re concerned.” https://twitter.com/anniekarni/status/1273310076170878977
This Tulsa ER doc said she was a conservative but that holding the rally at this time was a “terrible idea” and “short-sighted at best and reckless and dangerous at worst” https://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/columnists/im-a-tulsa-emergency-physician-and-conservative-and-the-trump-rally-is-a-terrible-idea/article_08bb3cff-4748-5474-9508-76658b2c8e22.html
As late as Thursday, the arena had not received a written safety plan from the Trump campaign. https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-campaign-tulsa-officials-venue-quiet-on-protecting-rally-workers-2020-6
Earlier this week, looking at hundreds of thousands of visitors, Tulsa’s health care system said it was “preparing for the worst” and recommended everyone wear a mask https://ktul.com/news/local/tulsa-hospitals-preparing-for-possible-spike-in-covid-19-rates
The Trump campaign said last week they would do temperature checks and hand out masks at the rally, but not require wearing masks or social distancing https://www.kron4.com/news/national/face-masks-social-distancing-not-required-at-upcoming-tulsa-trump-rally/
Oklahoma guidelines leave social distancing and safety guidelines up to venue organizers https://www.okcommerce.gov/wp-content/uploads/Entertainment-and-Sporting-Venue-Guidance.pdf
Now six people working on the rally tested positive for Covid-19. https://twitter.com/GeoffRBennett/status/1274402848462327809?s=20
Unlike many of the outdoor protests seen across the country, where mask-wearing was the norm and social distancing was far more frequent, the line for the rally shows almost no masks or social distancing https://twitter.com/MorganRadford/status/1274325185194270721
A group of Tulsa residents tried to at least make the event organizers enforce social distancing guidelines, worried that the event would threaten public health, but the Oklahoma Supreme Court decided against their case Friday. https://www.npr.org/2020/06/19/880986830/tulsa-curfew-lifted-as-court-rejects-public-health-challenge-to-trump-rally
Kayleigh McEnenny minimized mask wearing as a personal choice.
"I won't be wearing a mask. It's a personal decision. I'm tested regularly. I feel that it's safe for me to not be wearing a mask, and I'm in compliance with CDC guidelines, which are recommended but not required."
"I won't be wearing a mask. It's a personal decision. I'm tested regularly. I feel that it's safe for me to not be wearing a mask, and I'm in compliance with CDC guidelines, which are recommended but not required."
Meanwhile, the experts Trump says he listens to are telling him not to hold mass indoor gatherings. https://twitter.com/JesseFFerguson/status/1274071166542589960
