President Trump will hold a rally at an outdoor venue in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, this weekend, his campaign announced on Sunday.
The president will stage the event at the Portsmouth International Airport in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET — roughly three weeks following his June 20 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma:
The outdoor rally follows the murmurings of critics, many of whom deemed it irresponsible for the president to hold indoor events in the era of the coronavirus.
Like the Tulsa rally, the registration page for the Portsmouth gathering comes with a disclaimer, absolving the campaign, Portsmouth International Airport at Pease, “or any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, or volunteers” of liability in the event that an attendee contracts the virus at the event.
“There will be ample access to hand sanitizer, and all attendees will be provided a face mask that they are strongly encouraged to wear,” the campaign announced in a statement.
The Trump campaign experienced a lower-than-expected turnout in Tulsa — a phenomenon the Trump campaign attributed to media hyping protests and stoking coronavirus fears.
“The fact is that a week’s worth of the fake news media warning people away from the rally because of COVID and protestors, coupled with recent images of American cities on fire, had a real impact on people bringing their families and children to the rally,” Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said following leftists claiming victory, contending that they inflated expectations by registering for the rally en masse as part of a TikTok prank with fake RSVPs.
“Leftists and online trolls doing a victory lap, thinking they somehow impacted rally attendance, don’t know what they’re talking about or how our rallies work,” he added.
Joe Biden (D), the Democrat Party’s presumptive nominee, announced last week that he will not hold traditional campaign rallies ahead of the general election due to coronavirus-related concerns.
“This is the most unusual campaign, I think, in modern history,” the former vice president told reporters in Wilmington, Delaware, last Tuesday.
“I start off with the premise that I’m going to follow the [doctor’s] orders, not just for me, but for the country,” he said. “That means I am not going to be holding rallies.”