Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday that the Trump campaign is considering moving Saturday’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma to another venue in the city after local officials voiced concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’ve had such an overwhelming response that we’re also looking at another venue. We’re also looking at outside activities and I know the campaign team will keep the public informed as that goes forward,” Pence said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.”
The rally is currently scheduled to take place in the BOK Center, which seats 19,000 people. Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said Monday that he has encouraged the Trump campaign to seek a larger, outdoor venue for the rally, according to The Associated Press. Rally goers will receive temperature checks, hand sanitizer and masks at the event. (RELATED: Laura Ingraham On Fauci’s Latest Warning: ‘The Deep State Strikes Again’)
“One of the reasons we chose Oklahoma is because Oklahoma has done such a remarkable job in reopening their state,” the vice president added. “The good news is that all 50 states and the territories in this country are now reopened to one degree or another. We’re seeing across the board in the country, hospitalizations are declining. Most importantly, our fatalities are declining, but in the state of Oklahoma, we’ve really seen a tremendous amount of progress.”
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Tulsa County experienced a surge in coronavirus cases last week, although deaths in most parts of the state of Oklahoma have either continued to decline or remained stable. Oklahoma has experienced over 8,000 coronavirus cases and over 350 deaths, according to a running tracker from The New York Times.
The director of Tulsa’s Health Department Bruce Dart said this weekend that he was “honored” to have the president visit, but was “concerned” about the ability to protect people who attend a large, indoor event.
“I think it’s an honor for Tulsa to have a sitting president want to come and visit our community, but not during a pandemic,” Dart told Tulsa World. “I’m concerned about our ability to protect anyone who attends a large, indoor event, and I’m also concerned about our ability to ensure the president stays safe as well.”