President Donald Trump has officially scrapped plans to hold a campaign rally in Alabama next weekend. According to CNN, the president’s campaign decided due to the rising number of coronavirus infections in the United States. The news comes a couple of weeks after Trump made a return to the campaign trail with a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was attended by around 6,200 people.
While his campaign never formally announced plans for a rally, Trump was supposed to travel to Alabama ahead of the Senate race between his former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville. However, plans for the visit were subsequently called off after state officials in Alabama voiced concerns about the campaign holding a mass gathering as coronavirus cases continue to rise. As of right now, there are no plans for Trump’s campaign to hold any rallies soon. But, aides are reportedly researching venues for when they are able to head out on the campaign trail again. In light of this news, Tim Murtagh, the communications director for the Trump campaign, said, “We don’t ever confirm where we’re looking until a rally date and location are announced. There is always work underway to identify sites.”
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On the same day that this news was reported (Tuesday), Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced that current safety guidelines would last until the end of July. The order asks for those in the state to minimize the amount of traveling done outside of the home. They also encouraged everyone to wear a face mask when they do have to leave the house. The order also expressed that “all non-work related gatherings of any size, including drive-in gatherings, that cannot maintain a consistent six-foot distance between persons from different households are prohibited.”
Trump has only recently been back on the campaign trail, even though the coronavirus pandemic remains a severe problem in the United States. On June 20, the president held his first rally in about three months in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Trump campaign frequently noted that over one million individuals registered to attend the event even though the arena in which the event was being held, BOK Center, only holds 19,200 people. To account for the possible high attendance rate, the campaign even scheduled an “overflow” speech to be held outside of the venue. However, plans for the “overflow” speech were later scrapped. The rally was officially attended by around 6,200 individuals.
