Trump Adviser Tells NYT Indoor Rallies Are Like ‘Russian Roulette’ That ‘Created a Wave of Internal Backlash’

Leia IdlibySep 15th, 2020, 10:59 am
 

Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

An adviser to President Donald Trump said he was “playing a game of Russian roulette” by holding a rally indoors in Nevada this weekend, according to the New York Times.

Trump faced criticism due to his decision to break Nevada coronavirus laws, which only allow a maximum of 50 people at an indoor gathering, by holding a rally in the state. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak (D) went off on the president following the rally, bashing him for showing “callous disregard in a reckless, selfish, irresponsible way.”

The decision to hold a rally indoors was, according to Trump officials, the campaign’s last resort, as they unsuccessfully attempted to lockdown five other outdoor locations.

Now Trump is facing backlash from members of his own administration. The adviser who spoke to the New York Times noted that the president faced internal criticism following his decision to hold the rally. He added that the Trump campaign was “taking a cavalier approach to the pandemic,” noting that it could “backfire politically.”

“But the decision to forge ahead created a wave of internal backlash, including from a top Trump adviser who said the president was playing a game of Russian roulette in holding the indoor rally,” wrote the Times. “Some of the president’s most vocal defenders outside of the administration agreed.”

Even Ari Fleischer, a Trump supporter and former White House press secretary for President George W. Bush, took to Twitter to share his disapproval:

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