President Trump held an indoor rally in Henderson, Nevada, outside Las Vegas, on Sunday night, packing in significantly more than 50 people in clear defiance of state regulations based on COVID-19 recommendations from his own administration. The attendees were seated shoulder-to-shoulder, though the campaign said it required temperature checks at the door. This was Trump's first indoor rally since an ill-fated June event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that local officials cited as a prime contributor to a spike in coronavirus infections.
"Eager to project a sense of normalcy in imagery, Trump soaked up the raucous cheers inside a warehouse," The Associated Press reports. "Relatively few in the crowd wore masks, with one clear exception: Those in the stands directly behind Trump, whose images would end up on TV, were mandated to wear face coverings."
This was Trump's second consecutive rally in Nevada, after an outdoor event outside Reno on Saturday night. Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) slammed Trump's "reckless and selfish" decision to flout state rules, saying he is "putting countless lives in danger" for "his own gain." He also tied it to Trump's hands-off approach to containing the coronavirus.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh compared the indoor, largely mask-less rally to outdoor protests against police violence and racism, and more aptly, to the state's casinos, which Sisolak allowed to reopen in June with COVID-19 safety precautions.
The City of Henderson, which had warned the event's organizers beforehand, said in a statement it "may assess a fine of up to $500 per violation of the governor's directives as well as suspend or revoke the business license" of Xtreme Manufacturing, where the rally was held. Xtreme, owned by Don Ahern, says on its website it has "restricted meetings and gatherings to no more than 10 people in large areas." Ahern's Las Vegas hotel was already fined for hosting a larger-than-allowed "Evangelicals for Trump" campaign event in August.
-
Taking aim at Venezuela’s autocratFeature The Trump administration is ramping up military pressure on Nicolás Maduro. Is he a threat to the U.S.?
-
Comey indictment: Is the justice system broken?Feature U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying and obstructing Congress
-
Government shuts down amid partisan deadlockFeature As Democrats and Republicans clash over health care and spending, the shutdown leaves 750,000 federal workers in limbo
-
Japan poised to get first woman prime ministerSpeed Read The ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi
-
Israel and Hamas meet on hostages, Trump’s planSpeed Read Hamas accepted the general terms of Trump’s 20-point plan, including the release of all remaining hostages
-
US tipped to help Kyiv strike Russian energy sitesSpeed Read Trump has approved providing Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
-
Netanyahu agrees to Trump’s new Gaza peace planSpeed Read At President Trump's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they agreed upon a plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Moldova gives decisive win to pro-EU partySpeed Read The country is now on track to join the European Union within five years
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
UK, 3 Western allies recognize Palestinian stateSpeed Read Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal formally recognized the state of Palestine
