In defiance of Nevada governor, Trump holds indoor rally

In open defiance of state regulations and his own ministration’s pandemic health guidelines, President Donald Trump hosted his first indoor rally since June, telling a packed, nearly mask-less Neva crowd that nation was “making last turn” in defeating virus.

Er to project a sense of rmalcy in imry, Trump soaked up raucous cheers inside a warehouse Sunday night. Relatively few in crowd wore masks, with a clear exception: Those in stands directly behind Trump, whose ims would end up on TV, were mandated to wear face coverings.

t since a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that was blamed for a surge of coronavirus infections has he gared supporters indoors. re was early mention from president that pandemic h killed nearly 200,000 Americans and was still claiming 1,000 lives a day.

“We are t shutting country again. A shutdown would destroy lives and dreams of millions Americans,” said Trump, before using his inflammatory moniker for coronavirus.

“We will very easily defeat China virus.”

rally in Tulsa, which was his first in three months after coronavirus reached American shores, was a disaster for 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 rally, businessman and former presidential candidate Herman Cain, died of COVID-19 weeks later, though it was t clear if he contracted virus in Tulsa.

Recognizing that many supporters were uncomfortable to gar in a large group indoors, where virus spres more easily, 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. And on Sunday, y returned indoors, in part as a d to Las Vegas-area heat. Temperature checks were given to all upon entrance at industrial site in Henderson and while masks were encourd, few wore m.

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

“To put it bluntly: he didn’t have guts to make tough choices,” Sisolak said of Trump’s handling of virus.

“He left that to goverrs and states. w he’s decided he doesn’t have to respect our State’s laws. As usual, he doesn’t believe rules apply to him.”

city of Henderson informed Xtreme Manufacturing on Sunday that event as planned was in direct violation of goverr’s COVID-19 emergency directives and that penalties would follow. Trump campaign pushed back against restrictions with president saying he would support those in attendance “if goverr came after you.”

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

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

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

In a rambling, hourlong speech, Trump mused on mandatory prison sentences for flag burning, praised various UFC fighters in attendance and appeared to endorse extrjudicial killings for those who target police officers. And Trump unleashed a series of attacks on Biden, labeling him a him a tired career politician and declaring him “unfit to be president.”

But, Trump ruminated, while complaining about media’s cover: “Maybe he’ll win because y don’t like me, y don’t like my personality.” crowd answered with a deafening “We love you” chant. rally came night before Trump was to travel to California to receive a briefing on devastating wildfires racing through region. He has largely been silent on blazes that have claimed dozens of lives in Oregon and California.

Earlier Sunday, Trump aimed for furr inros with Latis who could prove vital in closely contested states that could determine White House race, promoting ecomic gains y me before coronavirus pandemic. Though Trump has me scores of inflammatory and derogatory comments about Latis, his campaign is growing confident that he has won some support that could help in Florida, Arizona and Neva, his target this weekend, Winning support from Latis has been an uphill climb for Trump, whose hard-line immigration policies and sometimes virulent depiction of immigrants have alienated many Hispanics.

In 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 ravd Puerto Rico, his polices to separate children from ir families at U.S.-Mexico border and his efforts to dismantle an Obama-era program that allows young immigrants living in country illegally who were brought here as children to remain in U.S.

Trump tailored his pitch to Latis on Sunday, ting ir 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 Latis. He was set to hold a similar event in Arizona on Monday.  

(Im Credits: Twitter/@realDonaldTrump)