Trump rally in Tulsa to move ahead despite 'leftists' stoking coronavirus fears
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The Trump campaign is forging ahead with its Tulsa rally on Saturday, decrying “leftist” plaintiffs who want to stop the event as Oklahoma posted its highest single-day tally of coronavirus cases and worrying trends continued across the South and West.
The president’s surrogates said life is full of risks and that Mr. Trump’s detractors are desperate to stop him from speaking to supporters despite little pushback to anti-racism protests that featured massive gatherings.
“As in any event, you assume a personal risk. That is just what you do. When you go to a baseball game, you assume a risk. That’s part of life,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said. “It’s a personal decision of Americans as to whether to go to the rally or whether not to go to the rally.”
Campaign manager Brad Parscale said liberal opponents will “do anything to stop him, even suing to prevent people from hearing from their president.”
“Despicable. It won’t work,” he tweeted.
The event will be the first major campaign rally since the pandemic took off in the U.S. in March. More than 117,000 Americans have died and 2.1 million have been infected.
Oklahoma recorded 228 COVID-19 cases Tuesday — its highest daily total to date and part of a broader spike in cases across the Sun Belt.
Arizona, Texas, Florida and South Carolina are of particular concern, as hospitalizations and use of intensive-care units increase with the number of cases.
