Donald Trump rejects Tulsa rally coronavirus concerns, wants triple crowd
- US president claimed 1 million people had requested tickets to his first campaign rally in months
- Officials in Oklahoma say it is the wrong time after a recent increase in Covid-19 cases
US President Donald Trump on Monday rejected pleas from Tulsa, Oklahoma, not to risk aggravating coronavirus risks by holding a rally there, announcing he wants to triple the crowd to 60,000 people.
“We have a 22,000 seat arena, but I think we’re also going to take the convention hall next door and that’s going to hold 40,000,” he told reporters at the White House.
He was responding to criticism from the local Tulsa newspaper and a top public health official in the city about his election campaign rally, which is scheduled for Saturday and comes as Oklahoma is seeing a recent increase in Covid-19 cases.
“This is the wrong time,” the Tulsa World newspaper said in a bluntly worded editorial.
“We don’t know why he chose Tulsa, but we can’t see any way that his visit will be good for the city.”
The newspaper pointed out that Covid-19 continues to spread and there is no vaccine.