WHITE House adviser Kellyanne Conway says supporters who go to President Donald Trump’s rallies are “putting themselves at risk.”
Conway was asked on Fox News on Wednesday about Trump’s re-election campaign plans to continue to hold large events, despite the skyrocketing coronavirus pandemic in the US.
“I would point everybody’s attention to many of the great outdoor rallies that we’ve done,” Conway said.
“But I think we have to also understand, many people who support Donald Trump, who would walk across broken glass for him are not going to go to the rallies.”
Conway said it’s “OK” that Trump supporters wouldn’t attend rallies amid the outbreak, as she said they “are going to support him in different ways.”
“They don’t want to put themselves at risk. But they already support him. They’re hardly swing voters.”
Trump held a rally at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 20 that local fire officials said around 6,000 people attended.
Campaign officials had said nearly one million people signed up for the event, which they said they expected 100,000 to attend.
The campaign was seen handing out masks and providing hand sanitizer to attendees, but it was clear that many people did not socially distance themselves from one another.
The Washington Post reported that hours before Trump arrived at the arena, staff were told to take the stickers — which encouraged social distancing — off the seats.
The stickers, which read, “Do Not Sit Here, Please!” were seen being removed by two men.
Around the time of the rally, eight Trump campaign staffers tested positive for coronavirus and dozens of Secret Service members were told to self-quarantine after two agents also tested positive.
The virus takes anywhere from two to 14 days to incubate, so after the rally, officials said it was too soon to attribute a spike in Oklahoma virus cases to the rally.
As of Tuesday morning, Oklahoma health officials said the state had more than 13,700 cases since March, with an increase of 585 cases in just 24 hours.
Later in her interview on Wednesday, Conway said that wearing a face mask and socially distancing are important to combatting the virus outbreak.
“Wearing masks, social distancing, all this stuff we know, it really does stop the spread. And I encourage people to do that,” Conway said.
This Friday, Trump is scheduled to attend an Independence Day celebration at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
But the state’s Republican governor, Kristi Noem, said during a recent interview that masks and social distancing won’t be required at the “large event.”
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“We told those folks that have concerns that they can stay home, but those who want to come and join us, we’ll be giving out free face masks, if they choose to wear one.”
“But we will not be social distancing,” Noem said. “Every one of them has the opportunity to make a decision that they’re comfortable with.”
As of Wednesday, the US has reported more than 2.7million coronavirus cases.