In Defiance Of Nevada Governor, Trump Holds Indoor Rally

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Supporters cheer as President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at Xtreme Manufacturing, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — In open defiance of state regulations and his own administration’s pandemic health guidelines, President Donald Trump on Sunday hosted his first indoor rally since June with a packed, mask-less Nevada crowd.

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Eager to project a sense of normalcy in imagery, Trump soaked up the raucous cheers inside a warehouse. Not since a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that was blamed for a surge of coronavirus infections has he gathered supporters indoors. There was no early mention from the president that the pandemic had killed nearly 200,000 Americans and was still claiming 1,000 lives a day.

Few in the crowd wore masks, with one clear exception: Those in the stands directly behind Trump, whose images would end up on TV, were mandated to wear face coverings.

The rally in Tulsa, which was his first in three months after the coronavirus reached American shores, was a disaster for the campaign, a debacle that featured a sea of empty seats and a rise in COVID-19 cases, including on his own staff. One prominent Trump supporter at the rally, businessman and former presidential candidate Herman Cain, died of COVID-19 weeks later, though it was not clear if he contracted the virus in Tulsa.

Recognizing that many supporters were uncomfortable to gather in a large group indoors, where the virus spreads more easily, the Trump campaign shifted to holding smaller, outdoor rallies, usually at airplane hangers. But those rallies have grown in size in recent weeks, with little social distancing and few masks.

Supporters wait for President Donald Trump to speak at a rally at Xtreme Manufacturing, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

And on Sunday, they returned indoors, in part as a nod to the Las Vegas-area heat. Temperature checks were given to all upon entrance at the industrial site in Henderson and while masks were encouraged, few wore them.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, has limited in-person gatherings indoors and outdoors to 50 people since May, a recommendation based on White House reopening guidelines. In a statement released just before the rally began, Sisolak said Trump was “taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada.”

“To put it bluntly: he didn’t have the guts to make tough choices,” Sisolak said of Trump’s handling of the virus. “He left that to governors and the states. Now he’s decided he doesn’t have to respect our State’s laws. As usual, he doesn’t believe the rules apply to him.”

The city of Henderson informed Xtreme Manufacturing on Sunday that the event as planned was in direct violation of the governor’s COVID-19 emergency directives and that penalties would follow. The Trump campaign pushed back against the restrictions.

“If you can join tens of thousands of people protesting in the streets, gamble in a casino, or burn down small businesses in riots, you can gather peacefully under the 1st Amendment to hear from the President of the United States,” campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said.

To this point, the campaign has not been played out as a choice election between Trump and his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, but rather a referendum on the president’s handling of the coronavirus. By wide margins, Americans have disapproved of Trump’s leadership, as the United States has suffered more deaths than any other nation.

Therefore, the president’s campaign believes it needs to change the subject and project the sense, despite evidence otherwise, that the pandemic was winding down and that a vaccine was on the horizon. Part of the plan: create images of normalcy, like the packed White House lawn for Trump’s convention speech, though it was unclear if viewers were reassured or frightened.

The rally came the night before Trump was to travel to California to receive a briefing on the devastating wildfires racing through the region. He has largely been silent on the blazes that have claimed dozens of lives in Oregon and California.

Earlier Sunday, Trump aimed for further inroads with Latinos who could prove vital in closely contested states that could determine the White House race, promoting economic gains they made before the coronavirus pandemic.

A supporter wears a campaign button as he waits for President Donald Trump to speak at a rally at Xtreme Manufacturing, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Though Trump has made scores of inflammatory and derogatory comments about Latinos, his campaign is growing confident that he has won some support that could help in Florida, Arizona and Nevada, his target this weekend,

Winning support from Latinos has been an uphill climb for Trump, whose hard-line immigration policies and sometimes virulent depiction of immigrants have alienated many Hispanics.

In the first moments of his 2016 campaign, he declared that many Mexican immigrants were “rapists.” He has drawn criticism for his tepid response to a hurricane that ravaged Puerto Rico, his polices to separate children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border and his efforts to dismantle an Obama-era program that allows young immigrants living in the country illegally who were brought here as children to remain in the U.S.

“They understand the situation at the southern border. They want people to come in, and so do I, but they want them to do it legally,” Trump told a small group of supporters in Las Vegas. “While Joe Biden has failed, I have delivered for Latinos.”

There is increasing concern about Democrats that their nominee, the former vice president, has not done enough to court Latino voters. His running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, did little to sway Florida’s booming and politically influential Latino population during a stop there this past week. Biden has not set foot in Arizona or Nevada during the general election campaign, which he has mainly conducted virtually because of the coronavirus.

Trump tailored his pitch to Latinos on Sunday, noting their low unemployment rate before COVID-19 reached American shores and affirming his anti-abortion stance. He again hammered home his recent push on law and order, saying that recent violence in American cities endangered Latinos. He was set to hold a similar event in Arizona on Monday.


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MAGA 2020!!!!!!!!
MAGA 2020!!!!!!!!
3 years ago

I wish vosizniyes would say who the article is from because we clearly see this is from the fake anti Trump anti america news but we just want to see a name. Why would any legal immigrant who went through the arduous process of becoming an American citizen be angry with the hardline anti illegal immigration stance Trump has. Sleepy creepy Joe is making the same mistake Hillary did in 2016 ( well not him because he has no clue what he’s doing, not sure he even knows he’s running for president, rather his handlers are making the same mistake as Hillary) it’s called overconfidence they are taking for granted the black and hispanic votes and barely campaigning. Even bolshevik Bernie said sleepy Joe’s victory isn’t guaranteed unless he does something about Latinos. The fake news polls show that Trump has gained ground with the Latino and black votes, and if those suppression polls show he’s gaining some ground that means he’s gaining A LOT of ground. Bekitzur the entire left, from the politicians to the fake news to the coastal elitists are so overconfident which will make Trumps victory so much more sweet. As they say history repeats itself.

fyi
fyi
3 years ago

yep he is a landslide of destruction.

CudahyKiod
CudahyKiod
3 years ago

Is President Trump going to accept the responsibility of anyone who may die from the virus from the event. President Trump could have cancelled the event because of the risk of people getting ill or dying. I understand that the audience knew the risks, but why would anyone do so?

Stam Misha
Stam Misha
3 years ago

it’s unfortunate that face masks became politicized. it is safe and responsible to wear face masks and you will be doing a chessed.

Moishe
Moishe
3 years ago

Not a mask to be seen. They must all be Covid deniers. Meanwhile our shuls are following medical and rabbinical advice and will be davening masked with social distancing.
Hours sitting indoors next to an infected person can not be compared to the same outdoors.
With even 1% of the population testing positive there would have been dozens of positive potential super spreaders at the Trump rally.

PaulinSaudi
PaulinSaudi
3 years ago

I hope these people are all OK.

Anomynous
Anomynous
3 years ago

Story today – in Maine: Five deaths and 161 COVID-19 cases have been linked to a wedding in Millinocket, Maine, on Monday.Just a wedding – tiny amount of people compared to Trump’s rallies. HOW MANY people might get the virus & die because of Trump’s reckless rally where thousands of people attended over the weekend? Trump cares more about votes then people, sorry to say. What is going to happen over the Yomim Tovim where shuls will be packed liked sardines with mostly no masks? This past Shabbos only 2 out of 200 people where wearing a mask – in a Shul where the Rav of the shul died!

14thAvenue
14thAvenue
3 years ago

Trump landslide

Dr. Fauciberg
Dr. Fauciberg
3 years ago

Yesterday the world saw the biggest surge of cases ever. India, Brasil, USA led the trail of death, led by psycopath trump who was warned on Jan 28 that this epidemic would be as bad as the 1918-1919 epidemic which cost 600,000 US lives. We’ve already lost 200,000 in 6 months under rasha Dr. trump. Nevada next?

Educated Archy
Educated Archy
3 years ago

The media knows that trumps strength is in his rallies . They are scared that game is over . So anything to stop them and all of a sudden surpress free speech of those calling for law and order and protesting inside viA a rally Are all of a sudden bad

Chareidi Jews For Biden/Harris 2020
Chareidi Jews For Biden/Harris 2020
3 years ago

Trump is a danger to this country. He is incapable of leading only stirring resentment and hatred. American voters see his foolishness. His brazeness will only cost him votes and help secure a Biden victory.

Proud American
Proud American
3 years ago

Let freedom ring. I love it.

Nachum
Nachum
3 years ago

This is a very biased article; there is never any mention of how Biden incorrecrtly wears his mask, with his nostrils exposed, all of the time. He just doesn’t know how to correctly wear the mask to cover his entire face.