President Trump announces plans to resume campaign rallies, mass gatherings could take place in as little as two weeks

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GPA photo archive (Flickr)

President Trump plans to resume campaigning in two weeks.

Ole Olafson, Reporter

President Trump is planning to resume his signature campaign rallies within the next two weeks.

Alex Isenstadt reported for Politico on Monday that the convergence of a number of situations may have hastened Trump back to the campaign trail regardless of concerns by many health experts that new coronavirus cases seem to be on the rise over the last several weeks following the relaxation of stay-at-home orders in many states.

Trump used his MAGA rallies to great effectiveness during the 2016 campaign and he and his staff are undoubtedly banking on the tactic working again.  Polls reportedly show that the President’s approval ratings and polling numbers have suffered recently, as a majority of those questioned have responded negatively to the way Trump has handled the coronavirus pandemic and the current demonstrations against systematic racism precipitated by the George Floyd killing by police in Minnesota.  According to Isenstadt, the sudden move back into the public eye may also be a conscious effort by the President to create a distinction between his campaign and Biden’s, who doesn’t seem so inclined to resume in-person campaign stops.

Isenstadt also brings to light the fact that the mass protests for Floyd and others killed by police which have received bipartisan support but relatively more from Democrats, will make it difficult for opponents to criticize the President for organizing massive campaign gatherings.

It also seems that Trump is eager to take advantage of an unexpectedly large drop in unemployment during May, as 2.5 million Americans went back to work last month.

“Americans are ready to get back to action and so is President Trump. The great American comeback is real and the rallies will be tremendous,” said Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale in a statement. “You’ll again see the kind of crowds and enthusiasm that sleepy Joe Biden can only dream of.”

It doesn’t appear that the President is looking to ease back into campaigning.  According to a CBS News article published yesterday, Trump is considering restarting his campaign in large outdoor venues in states like Florida and Georgia, whose Governors have shown a tolerance for relaxed social distancing policies.

“I don’t wanna have a stadium where you’re supposed to have a person, then seven empty seats,” Trump said, according to CBS.