President Trump announced that he will deliver the U.S. Military Academy commencement speech next month as both he and his campaign express hope that he can resume campaign rallies ahead of the November election.
The president has left Washington only once during the past month as he took charge of the coronavirus crisis.
His guidelines on social distancing urge people to avoid all but essential travel.
But on Friday, a day after unveiling a road map for states to begin lifting restrictions, he announced he will travel to West Point for the May 23 ceremony.
“I understand they’ll have distancing,” he said. “They’ll have some big distance, so it will be very different than it ever looked.”
“Do I like the look? No, I don’t,” he added. “And eventually, next year, they’ll have a commencement like it’s been.”
His only previous trip was to Norfolk, Virginia, to see off the USNS Comfort, a hospital ship bound for New York.
It comes as Vice President Mike Pence also resumes travel. On Saturday, he will deliver the commencement address at the Air Force Academy in Colorado.
The COVID-19 pandemic and its social distancing requirements have halted campaigning for the election, leaving presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden livestreaming from his basement and robbing Trump of the rallies that in 2016 were one of his biggest electoral weapons.
The president’s guidance urges the public to avoid gatherings of 10 or more people to limit the spread of a virus that has claimed more than 36,000 victims across the country.
During his Friday coronavirus briefing, Trump expressed excitement about the return of rallies.
“It’s great for the country,” he said. “It’s great spirit … For me, it’s a tremendous way of getting the word out.”
There is a long way to go before mass events can begin. The president’s own guidelines recommend that groups of more than 50 people will only be allowed after states have successfully completely one phase of the recovery program, and even then, they must ensure that participants can keep their distance from each other.
Some experts think mass events will not be possible until next year, and major league sports are already working on contingency plans to start their seasons in empty stadiums.
But the president said he expected the rallies to be a feature of the campaign again.
“I hope we’re going to have rallies,” he said. “I think they’re going to be bigger than ever.”
Earlier in the day, his campaign said the rallies would be returning.
“We will get back to those rallies,” campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh told ABC News. “Never fear, the president is certain that we’re going to be back out there speaking directly to the American people.”
