The Trump campaign is facing criticism for holding packed outdoor rallies and some indoor events where people don’t wear masks, even as cases of COVID-19 increase in most states ahead of an anticipated winter surge.
Outbreaks are particularly bad in midwestern states like Wisconsin, where the Trump campaign has ramped up its efforts as he seeks to win a second term. Wisconsin is one of the key states the president needs to win to secure four more years.
Trump’s decision to go ahead with the rallies, which still pose transmission risks even though they are outdoors, illustrates his desire to move on from the pandemic despite experts’ warnings that the worst is yet to come this winter.
“People are tired of COVID. I have these huge rallies. People are saying ‘Whatever, just leave us alone,’” Trump said Monday in a call with supporters.
“They’re tired of it. People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots.”
Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, has said those rallies are “asking for trouble” and people should instead double down on public health measures to bring the number of COVID-19 cases down by the winter, when the virus spreads more easily.
But Trump, who is less than three weeks removed from his own case of COVID-19, sees the rallies as a key part of his election win in 2016 and thinks they could carry him to a second surprise victory in 2020 despite polls that show he’s trailing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Yet the contrast with Biden’s safety-conscious campaign style risks underlining complaints that Trump has mismanaged the pandemic. Polls routinely show disapproval of how Trump has handled the coronavirus, and Biden’s campaign believes it is the issue that will cost Trump the White House.
Biden has decided against holding rallies, instead holding small events outside, speaking at “drive-in” rallies where people stay in their cars and virtual fundraisers.
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- Discussion
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Rising COVID-19 cases raise worries about Trump rallies https://t.co/EfCtyD4X8v pic.twitter.com/RrUiLwcBm7
— The Hill (@thehill) October 21, 2020
YESTERDAY: REM's "Everybody Hurts" played at Trump rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, before President Trump arrived.
Many in the crowd were not wearing masks and there was no social distancing. pic.twitter.com/PMqOzTE2e0
— The Hill (@thehill) October 21, 2020
Well, duh! Why do these state and local officials allow these rallies to go on, knowing they are a leading contributor to the rise in COVID cases?
By the way, Trumpies make fun of Biden’s low-key, often virtual campaign style, but most voters outside the Trump cult see him as the candidate who is responsible and who cares about their safety and well being. Except for the Trump cult, these are factors in their decision to vote for Biden.
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