Wisconsin Trump Rally Moves From Red Zone

Local officials had complained, though campaign says that didn't prompt the decision
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 1, 2020 7:00 PM CDT
After Worry in a Red Zone, Trump Rally Moves
President Trump speaks at a Minnesota campaign rally at Duluth International Airport on Wednesday.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

One of President Trump's Wisconsin rallies scheduled for this weekend has been moved after local officials raised concerns about the event, given that the White House Coronavirus Task Force has labeled the area a red zone. The Trump campaign said the rally was moved from La Crosse because of a legal issue with the venue, the Hill reports, but it happened after local complaints. "The last thing we need is another spike in cases," the city's mayor had said. "We're already in that severe or high risk, and we don't need any more." Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, had called on Trump to cancel his rallies in the state or require that masks be worn. Wisconsin has the third-highest per capita increase in cases in the nation over the past two weeks, per AP. Another 2,887 new cases were reported Thursday.

Asked why Trump would hold a rally where his administration has issued a warning about coronavirus spread, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the news media is quiet when Democrats violate social distancing guidelines. "The president believes that people have a First Amendment right to political speech," she said. "He is having a rally. People can choose whether or not to come." The La Crosse rally, scheduled for Saturday, will be moved about 175 miles to Janesville, where the virus is spreading less rapidly. Trump also plans a rally in Green Bay the same day. Wisconsin has had no limit on the size of gatherings since Republicans successfully challenged Evers' "safer at home" order early in the pandemic. (An indoor Trump rally had prompted a chilling warning.)

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