The event was thousands short of a full house and partly overshadowed by new coronavirus cases among the president’s campaign staff.
TULSA, Okla. — President Donald Trump used his comeback rally to try to define the upcoming election as a choice between national heritage and left-wing radicalism, but his intended show of political force during the pandemic was thousands short of a full house and partly overshadowed by new coronavirus cases among his campaign staff.
Trump ignored health warnings and held his first rally in 110 days in what was one of the largest indoor gatherings in the world during an outbreak that has killed about 120,000 Americans and put 40 million out of work. The rally Saturday night in Tulsa was meant to restart his reelection effort less than five months before the November election.
“The choice in 2020 is very simple,” Trump said. “Do you want to bow before the left-wing mob, or do you want to stand up tall and proud as Americans?”
After a three-month break from rallies, Trump returned to regular themes, including boasts about the pre-pandemic economy and complaints about the media. He made no mention of some of the flashpoints roiling the nation, including the abrupt firing of a U. S. attorney in Manhattan, the damaging new book from his former national security adviser or the killing of George Floyd.
Trump aired pent-up grievances about the coronavirus, which he mocked as the “Kung flu,” a racist term for COVID-19, which originated in China. He tried to defend his handling of the pandemic, even as cases continue to surge in many states, including Oklahoma.
He complained that robust testing was making his record look bad and suggested the testing effort should slow down. “Here’s the bad part. When you do testing to that extent, you’re going to find more cases,” Trump said. “So I said to my people, ‘Slow the testing down.’ They test and they test.”
In response, Trump’s Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, tweeted, “Speed up the testing.
