Trump reboots campaign in Tulsa

At his first campaign rally since the coronavirus pandemic began, President Donald Trump criticized presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, lambasted the “left-wing mob” for tearing down Confederate monuments, and insisted “the silent majority is stronger than ever before.” A third of the seats in the 19,000-seat arena in Tulsa, Okla., sat empty on Saturday evening. The president’s campaign staff said protesters tried to frighten off his supporters. Small crowds of pre-rally demonstrators remained mostly peaceful.

What precautions did the campaign take against COVID-19? Trump’s staff instituted temperature checks for all in attendance and provided masks and hand sanitizer but did not require them. The president spoke about the disease in his 105-minute speech, at times using the racist term “kung flu” and touting his actions during the pandemic. He said he had recently suggested slowing down coronavirus testing. Six staff members who helped set up the event tested positive for the coronavirus earlier in the day and immediately went into quarantine, the campaign said.

Dig deeper: Read a report in the Saturday Series on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s handling of COVID-19 in New York.