US: After Tulsa, Trump heads to virus hotspot Arizona and border

Regrouping after a humbling weekend rally, President Donald Trump faces ar test of his ability to draw a crowd during a pandemic Tuesday as he visits Arizona and tries to remind voters of one of his key 2016 campaign promises.

Trump’s weekend rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, h been meant to be a sign of nation’s reopening and a show of political force but inste generated thousands of empty seats and swirling questions about president’s campaign leership and his case for ar four years in office. low turut has sharpened focus on Trump’s visit to Arizona, which doubles as both a 2020 battleground state and a surging coronavirus hotspot.

First, president will travel to Yuma to mark construction of more than 200 miles of wall along U.S.-Mexico border, an issue that he built his campaign on four years ago. Later, he'll dress a group of young Republicans at a Phoenix megachurch, where event organizers have pledged thousands will attend.

Throughout trip, COVID-19 pandemic will show Trump. Democratic mayor of Phoenix me clear that she does t believe speech can be safely held in her city — and urged president to wear a face mask.

“Everyone attending tomorrow’s event, particularly any elected official, should set an example to residents by wearing a mask,” said Mayor Kate Gallego. “This includes President.”

Trump has refused to wear a mask in public, inste turning it into a red-vs.-blue cultural issue. Polling suggests that Republican are far less likely to wear a face covering than Democrats despite health experts’ warnings that it dramatically reduces risk of transmitting virus.

“Students for Trump” event will be held at Dream City Church and brocast to groups across nation. It is being hosted by Turning Point USA, a group founded by Trump ally Charlie Kirk. Organizers said health and safety measures still were being finalized and it was t clear if attendees would be asked to wear masks or keep socially distant.

Since late May, Arizona has emerged as one of nation’s most active hotspots for spre of COVID-19. Use of hospitals, intensive care units and ventilators has set daily records over past week.

Photos of restaurants and bars crowded with unmasked patrons ignited controversy. Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, a Trump supporter, reversed himself last week and allowed cities and counties to require people to wear masks in public places. Most have, including Phoenix and Yuma and counties that surround m.

Arizona is seeing disturbing trends in several benchmarks, including percent of tests that prove positive for virus, which is highest in nation.

state’s positive test rate is at a seven-day aver of 20.4%, well above national aver of 8.4% and 10% level that public health officials say is a problem.

Campaign officials are still assessing fallout from low turut in Tulsa amid concern about virus.

Campaign officials stressed that rallies would remain a staple of president’s reelection strategy but allowed that y may, in certain states, need to change slightly. Discussions were under way about having m in more modest venues or outdoors, perhaps in airplane hangers and amphiaters, or in smaller cities away from likely protesters.

But officials believe that Trump’s ability to draw thousands of supporters out during a pandemic sets up a favorable contrasting im with Democratic rival Joe Biden. Still, campaign has struggled to find effective attack lines on Biden.

Biden, like Trump, has h struggles with young voters but former vice president’s campaign has expressed hope that national protests against racial injustice may change that.

Trump’s visit to Phoenix megachurch will come on same day that Pence kicks off a faith-centered tour, highlighting central position that religious conservatives -– particularly white evangelicals, but also right-leaning Catholics -– continue to occupy in president’s base. Yet even as Trump’s campaign overtly courts religious voters, re are signs of softening support among voting blocs president can’t afford to lose.

A poll released earlier this month by nprofit Public Religion Research Institute found that share of white Catholics viewing Trump favorably h fallen by double digits since last year, measuring 37% in last week of May compared with 49% across 2019. same poll found Trump’s favorability among white evangelicals at 62% in May, a level comparable to 2019’s — but 15% less than it was in March.

Trump's focus on construction of his long-promised border wall also is meant to shore up support with his most loyal supporters.

His ministration has promised to build 450 miles by end of year, but that’s t very likely. government has awarded more than $6.1 billion in construction contracts since April 2019 for various projects along border. It has also waived procurement rules that critics say make process of awarding multi-million dollar contracts secretive and opaque.

White House this month floated a ory that travel from Mexico may be contributing to a new wave of coronavirus infections, rar than states’ efforts to reopen ir ecomies. It was t clear that evidence supports ory.

Trump’s first visit to border in more than a year comes a day after ar hardline immigration move. Trump ministration said Monday that it was extending a ban on green cards issued outside United States until end of year and ding many temporary work visas to freeze, including those used heavily by techlogy companies and multinational corporations.

ministration cast effort as a way to free up jobs in an ecomy reeling from coronavirus.