Pence Defends Trump Rallies Amid Pandemic: ‘We Have an Election Coming’

Vice President Mike Pence defended President Donald Trump’s willingness to hold rallies amid the coronavirus pandemic by saying “we have an election coming” while referencing American’s First Amendment right to assemble Friday afternoon.

On June 20, Trump held his first rally since the Covid-19 outbreak in the indoor BOK Center. There’s speculation on how many people have attended the rally. The Tulsa Fire Marshall reportedly said there was 6,200 people in attendance, a stark contrast from predictions from Trump and members of his campaign team.

Still, members of the media reported most people who attended the event did not wear masks to prevent the spread of the novel virus.

In the White House Coronavirus Task Force’s first briefing in nearly two months, Pence was asked, “Dr. [Anthony] Fauci has talked about not gathering in large crowds. Can you tell me why you continue to do this? Why the campaign continues to hold these rallies?”

“The freedom of speech, the right to peaceably assemble, is enshrined in the constitution of the United States, and we have an election coming up this fall,” Pence responded. “President Trump and I believe that taking proper steps, as we have created screening at recent events, and giving people the very best counsel that we have. We still want to give people the freedom to participate in the political process.”

Pence went on to note that Oklahoma’s Covid-19 daily numbers have declined through the last week. Oklahoma currently has a little under 12,000 cases in the state, including two-straight days with over 400 new cases.