US President Donald Trump is getting back on the campaign trail, announcing a Monday rally in Florida and a ‘law and order’ event at the White House on Saturday, as mainstream media raised fears of coronavirus infections.
On Friday evening, Trump tweeted the announcement of a “very BIG RALLY” in Sanford – meaning the Orlando Sanford International Airport – in central Florida. The Monday evening event will be the first since the president tested positive for Covid-19 last week.
Will be in Sanford, Florida on Monday for a very BIG RALLY! https://t.co/TTOlHJT8kr
Trump spent last weekend at Walter Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda and was treated with a range of medications, some of them experimental. First Lady Melania Trump also tested positive for the virus, along with a number of White House aides. She is reportedly recovering and doing well.
The president has since returned to the Oval Office, saying he hasn’t felt better in decades. He certainly appeared energized, tweeting up a storm, recording several video messages, and doing a lengthy telephone interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday and a two-hour “rally” on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show on Friday.
Meanwhile in Florida pic.twitter.com/mlVriqjMcc
Despite concerns from Democrats and the media that the president might still be sick or infectious, White House physician Sean Conley said on Thursday that Trump would make a “safe return to public engagements” as early as Saturday.
The White House has reportedly sent out invitations for a Saturday morning event already, featuring a gathering on the South Lawn with Trump delivering “remarks to peaceful protesters for law and order” from the balcony, a safe distance away.
Parece ser que el presidente planea un evento multitudinario en la Casa Blanca este sábado al mediodía, pese a no haberse sometido, que sepamos, a un test de COVID-19 para conocer el estado de la enfermedad. @ABC ha conseguido la invitación y dice haberlo confirmado con 2 fuentes pic.twitter.com/fRCziAI6iG
The remarks will be in addition to a previously scheduled event organized by activist Candace Owens and her group Blexit. As part of their safety rules, anyone who shows up will have to bring a mask and wear it, a Bloomberg News White House correspondent reported. They will also have to undergo a temperature check and a questionnaire, but no tests.
That has not stopped mainstream media outlets from expressing concern about the event and comparing it to the September 26 nomination ceremony for Judge Amy Coney Barrett at the same location.
In doing so, they quoted none other than Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and one of Trump’s coronavirus advisers.
“The data speak for themselves – we had a superspreader event in the White House, and it was in a situation where people were crowded together and were not wearing masks,” Fauci told Steven Portnoy of CBS News Radio on Friday.
Like this story? Share it with a friend!
