President Trump’s reelection campaign said two more staff members who were in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for work related to President Trump’s rally there on Saturday tested positive for the coronavirus.
Six advance team staffers setting up the rally on Saturday in Tulsa have previously tested positive.
“After another round of testing for campaign staff in Tulsa, two additional members of the advance team tested positive for the coronavirus. These staff members attended the rally but were wearing masks during the entire event,” Trump campaign Communications Director Tim Murtaugh said in a statement.
Trump’s rally went ahead in spite of calls from a top state health official to postpone the event over concerns that it could increase the number of coronavirus cases.
Tulsa saw a “significant increase” in infection case trends even before the rally, Tulsa City-County Health Department Director Bruce Dart told Tulsa World.
“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 said.
Some Democrats said they feared the event could endanger the president’s supporters by spreading the disease. All attendees waived their right to hold responsible the campaign, the organizers, or the venue if they contracted the disease, and few wore masks.
The event marked a return to the campaign trail for the president, who had not held a rally since March 2.
