President Donald Trump's re-election campaign has canceled an upcoming rally in Alabama after the state's governor restricted travel and large-scale gatherings in response to rising numbers of coronavirus cases.
Alabama GOP Gov. Kay Ivey earlier this week extended the state's coronavirus order until the end of the month. It encourages people to travel as little as possible, to wear face masks whenever outside their home, and orders that "all non-work related gatherings of any size, including drive-in gatherings, that cannot maintain a consistent six-foot distance between persons from different households are prohibited."
The Trump campaign had been planning on holding a rally in the state ahead of the Republican Senate primary between Trump's former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville, who has Trump's support. Trump would have joined Tuberville in Sessions' hometown of Mobile on July 14, but canceled it in light of the governor's decision.
"We don't ever confirm where we're looking until a rally date and location are announced," Tim Murtaugh, Trump campaign communications director, told CNN. "There is always work underway to identify sites."
The cancellation comes shortly after Trump's first campaign rally in three months in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where attendees were not required to wear masks or social distance. Eight members of his campaign staff and two Secret Service agents ended up testing positive for the coronavirus while in Tulsa, and the president's campaign staff who attended the rally were forced to quarantine for the following week.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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