The in-person event marks Trump’s first election engagement outside the White House since he tested positive for the new coronavirus less than two weeks ago. It scheduled to take place at Orlando Sanford International Airport, with the president’s remarks slated to begin at 7 p.m. ET. Those interested in attending the rally can register through his campaign’s website and may arrive as early as 4 p.m., when doors open.
Those who do not plan to physically attend Monday’s event can watch Trump’s speech live online and on television. C-SPAN will broadcast and live stream the rally starting at 7 p.m. Additional live streams will be available to watch via the Trump campaign’s official site and social media accounts.
Trump is set to speak at subsequent rallies in Pennsylvania, Iowa and North Carolina—all battleground states ahead of next month’s general election—on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. His return to the campaign trail follows a weeklong hiatus that came after he, first lady Melania Trump, a handful of White House staff members and other Republican leaders confirmed their respective COVID-19 diagnoses.
Trump announced his positive test result in an early morning tweet on October 2. The president was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, later that day, where he remained for the duration of the weekend before returning to Washington, D.C..
On Saturday, Trump addressed a crowd gathered outside the White House during a rally, after which he said he received “a total and complete sign off” from physicians who have been monitoring his infection.
Trump shared that news in a tweet that Twitter ultimately flagged for violating its rules about spreading misinformation, since the president went on to claim the “sign off,” seemingly referencing a negative COVID-19 test, meant he was immune to the disease and no longer contagious. Guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest an individual can be around others 10 days after COVID-19 symptoms first appeared, but note that there is “limited information about reinfections with the virus that causes COVID-19.”
Many have voiced concern about health risks associated with Trump’s in-person campaign rallies, which often draw large crowds of attendees that generally are not pictured wearing masks or maintaining physical distance from one another. Public health protocols in Sanford require individuals to wear face coverings in outdoor gathering spaces if adequate social distancing is not observed.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign for additional information about the expected turnout at Monday’s rally, as well as any protocols in place to reduce risks of COVID-19 transmission during the event, but did not receive a reply in time for publication.
