Oklahoma senator backs Trump's Tulsa rally as health experts urge caution about large gatherings

Public health experts like coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx and former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb recently reiterated the risks involved with large gatherings, whether they are protests against police brutality or President Trump's upcoming political rally revival.

Gottlieb said if he was still giving formal advice to the Trump administration, he would suggest withholding rallies like the one scheduled for June 20 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which will not only host a large amount of people, but take place indoors.

No one will ever know if Gottlieb would have had any success in getting his point across, but it does look like people will get a glimpse into how Trump's rallies will look during the pandemic. There's no indication right now that it could get postponed, and Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said Sunday he thinks his state has been successful enough in reducing the spread of the virus to warrant hosting the event, despite concerns from Tulsa's own public health director. Lankford was not, however, exactly sure how Tulsa will work out a way to safely gather 20,000 or so people into the same indoor venue. Tim O'Donnell

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up