Top Trump allies see Saturday’s rally in Tulsa as a chance to reset the campaign after two weeks of playing defense and reclaim attention from anti-police protests that have dominated weeks of news coverage.
They believe the president has suffered from not being able to connect with voters and that he is the best person to throw a negative spotlight back onto presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
“Starting with the rally, we are going to crank things up to the next level,” said a senior campaign adviser.
The run-up to the event — the first rally since early March — has been fraught with controversy. The date has already been pushed back a day after the original date coincided with Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the end of U.S. slavery.
Critics also warned that filling the 19,000-capacity arena with a raucous, noisy crowd would create conditions perfect for the spread of the novel coronavirus.
At the weekend, Director of the Harvard Global Health Institute Ashish Jha Sunday tweeted that an indoor event with thousands of people stationary for hours created a greater risk than outdoor protests.
“Am I sure rally in Tulsa, other places will fuel a big outbreak? Of course not,” he said. “There is enough idiosyncrasy to the virus spread that we can’t and shouldn’t predict with certainty. But the risk here is substantial.”
Supporters must sign a coronavirus liability disclaimer to attend. And on Monday, the campaign said it would be taking temperatures at the entrance to the BOK Center and would distribute masks and hand sanitizer to attendees.
Deputy campaign communications director Erin Perrine said: “The campaign takes the health and safety of rallygoers seriously and is taking precautions to make the rally safe.”
But Jeanne Zaino, professor of political science at Iona College, said the risks suggested deep urgency for a reset after two weeks of declining poll numbers and negative headlines.
“He’s got to be personally miserable at being stuck in the White House or New Jersey at the weekend and not being able to get his voice out there,” she said.
In normal times, she added, an incumbent could assert their dominance and reclaim the news cycle with an overseas trip or by hosting a major summit.
The coronavirus pandemic means these are not normal times. The G-7 summit scheduled for Camp David last week is now due to be held in the fall. And international trips are off for the time being.
The return to campaigning marks a contrast with Biden. He has weathered heavy criticism for holding virtual events in his basement, but he has been able to take a back seat in recent weeks as Trump attempted to manage multiple crises, including Black Lives Matter protests that closed in on the White House.
However, a previous attempt to seize the initiative by visiting a church near the White House sparked days of questions about whether it was right to clear protesters from a park in order to stage what critics derided as a photo opportunity.
The result is added urgency to get him back to the rallies that have proved so successful.
“It’s important to get him back out on the road, in front of his base,” said a senior adviser. “We’ve seen so many of these protests that have been political in nature, where you have thousands of people marching for political ends, and yet, you don’t see the Trump supporters out there, because they are following the rules.
“The Left has been mobilizing, and the Right should be as well.”
Saturday’s rally is a chance to talk about the economy opening up, floating ideas such as a payroll tax cut and bringing manufacturing home under the banner of the “great American comeback.”
“We need to take back the narrative, and this is a great opportunity to do that,” said the adviser.
The rallies have another benefit. The online registration allows the campaign to collect valuable data for targeting voters.
“Just passed 800,000 tickets,” campaign manager Brad Parscale posted on Twitter during the weekend. “Biggest data haul and rally signup of all time by 10x.”
More rallies will follow. The president is expected in Phoenix, Arizona, on June 23. And Trump has said he also will stage events in Florida and North Carolina. All are shaping up to be crucial battlegrounds.
Campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said the president was eager to get back to rallies, where he “connects best” with the American people.
“A big, boisterous rally will be a clear sign that America needs to be open for business, and that the Great American Comeback is already underway,” he said. “Rallies will also show the contrast between the energy behind President Trump’s campaign and the sleepiness of Joe Biden’s efforts.”
“There is definitely an enthusiasm gap, it is real, and it is wide.”
