President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign said Monday that attendees of the president’s rally this weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma — his first since the coronavirus pandemic broke out — will be given temperature checks, face masks, and hand sanitizer as a health precaution.
“The campaign takes the health and safety of rally-goers seriously and is taking precautions to make the rally safe,” Erin Perrine, deputy communications director for the Trump campaign, said in a statement. “Every single rally goer will have their temperature checked, be provided a face mask and hand sanitizer. We are also taking precautions to keep rally-goers safe in the Oklahoma heat — including providing water bottles to keep people hydrated.”
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Vice President Mike Pence said the campaign was working with Oklahoma’s governor to screen supporters before the rally.
“Oklahoma has really been at the forefront of our efforts to slow the spread, and in a very real sense they flatten the curve,” Pence said. “Today, its hospital capacity is abundant. The number of cases and Oklahoma has declined precipitously and we feel very confident going forward. And with the rally this coming weekend, we are working closely with the governor.”
“We will have measures and place to have people screened coming into the facilities, but Oklahoma has really led the way,” he added.
The Trump campaign’s statement comes after Trump dismissed demands to cancel the rally.
“The Far Left Fake News Media, which had no Covid problem with the Rioters and Looters destroying Democrat run cities, is trying to Covid Shame us on our big Rallies,” the president tweeted. “Won’t work!”
The Tulsa World wrote in an op-ed that President Trump’s upcoming rally was ill-timed due to the ongoing pandemic.
“When the president of the United States visits your city, it should be exciting,” the paper wrote, citing ongoing tensions in the city from the George Floyd riots and fears surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. “We think a Trump visit will be, but for a lot of the wrong reasons, and we can’t welcome it.”
Earlier Monday, Trump announced his supporters have made nearly one million ticket requests for the rally. “Almost One Million people request tickets for the Saturday Night Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma!” he said.