Trump planning large rally in New Hampshire despite surge in coronavirus cases

Campaign organisers promise hand sanitiser and masks amid pandemic concerns

Donald Trump will head to New Hampshire next weekend for another 2020 campaign event, as he snubs concerns over rising coronavirus cases.

The US president’s campaign team said on Sunday that the “Make America Great Again Rally” was scheduled to take place on Saturday.

The outdoors event, which could see thousands arrive at the international airport in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is Mr Trump’s second big 2020 campaign event since Covid-19 hit the United States in March.

In a statement, his campaign team said “there will be ample access to hand sanitiser and all attendees will be provided a face mask that they are strongly encouraged to wear” at Saturday’s event.

“We look forward to so many freedom-loving patriots coming to the rally and celebrating America, the greatest country in the history of the world,” added campaign press secretary Hogan Gidley.

President Trump was mocked last month when smaller than expected crowds turned-up to his campaign event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, reportedly over Covid-19 concerns.

More than 2.93 million Americans have now contracted the virus, whilst 132,000 have died.

The Trump 2020 campaign announcement on Sunday was made as coronavirus continued to surge across the American Sun Belt, where some 40,000 new cases were confirmed across Florida, Texas and Arizona alone this weekend.

Authorities in those states have now admitted that social and economic restrictions ended too soon, despite Trump administration advice to reopen.

Republican Miami mayor Francis X. Suarez told ABC News that it was “extremely worrisome,” and said: “There’s no doubt that the fact that when we reopened, people started socialising as if the virus didn’t exist.”

“I will tell you, a month ago one in 10 people were testing positive. Today, it’s one in four,” added Houston mayor Sylvester Turner to CBS.

“The number of people who are getting sick and going to the hospitals has exponentially increased.”

New Hampshire in comparison has seen smaller increases in Covid-19 cases, of around 20-40 per day, compared to nearer 10,000 new cases on Sunday in Florida.

Still, president Trump has continued to face criticism over his Tulsa event, after which Trump-ally Herman Cain was hospitalised with coronavirus, having attended the president’s rally.