Donald Trump held his first campaign rally since testing positive for COVID-19 in Sanford, Florida, on Monday evening. The event was held at the city’s airports and drew a large crowd with Trump arriving by his Air Force One plane near the stage. The rally makes up for the original date, Oct. 2, that was scheduled before being postponed after his diagnosis.
Heading into the rally, there were plenty of doubters about whether or not the president was suited to conduct a public event less than two weeks after contracting the coronavirus. To put those critics to rest, the White House revealed that Trump tested negative for COVID-19 over multiple days. He was released from Walter Reed medical center after spending the weekend there on Oct. 5.
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It was great to be back in my home state of FLORIDA to make my official return to the campaign trail. I am energized by your prayers, humbled by your support, and absolutely determined to finish what we started and Make America Greater than Ever Before! pic.twitter.com/XrQG0KPdUo
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 13, 2020
In front of the Florida crowd, Trump spoke for a little more than an hour and thanked those in attendance for making their way to Sanford, “It was great to be back in my home state of Florida to make my official return to the campaign trail.” During the 2016 election, Trump was able to claim victory in Florida and is hoping to do so once again come Nov. 3. Early polls suggest the state will prove to be a significant player in the election with Biden viewed as a serious contender among Sunshine State voters. Trump also applauded his supporters for all of the well wishes and messages he received in his recovery, saying they “energized” him to make this return. Trump also told the crowd that he remains adamant about making this country “greater than ever before.” One subject he also touched on was the Supreme Court and his goal of getting Amy Coney Barrett appointed after the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Back on the trail, Trump will be as active as ever in an attempt to make up for some lost time due to his bout with the coronavirus. Jason Miller, who is Trump’s senior campaign advisor, told reporters on Monday morning that in addition to Florida, the president will be making stops in Pennsylvania, Iowa and North Carolina this week.
