Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he would certainly not attend President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, citing personal health concerns stemming from the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m in a high-risk category. Personally, I would not. Of course not,” Fauci, 79, said in an interview with the Daily Beast.
With respect to the president’s rallies, Fauci stated “outside is better than inside, no crowd is better than crowd,” and “crowd is better than big crowd.”
Fauci’s comments come after President Trump’s re-election campaign announced that attendees of the rally this weekend — his first since the coronavirus pandemic broke out — will be administered temperature checks, face masks, and hand sanitizer.
“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.”
On Monday, President Trump dismissed calls from Democrat lawmakers 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 wrote on Twitter. “Won’t work!”
Earlier Monday, President 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 stated.