CNN’s John Avlon: Trump’s Indoor Rally in Nevada is a ‘Golden Escalator to the Darwin Awards’
CNN Senior Political Analyst John Avlon criticized President Donald Trump for holding an indoor campaign rally in Nevada during the pandemic, calling the event a “golden escalator to the Darwin Awards.”
Avlon made the comments in a joint appearance with his wife, PBS Firing Line host Margaret Hoover, on CNN Newsroom. Host Ana Cabrera mentioned the last indoor rally Trump had in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which unfortunately resulted in multiple Secret Service agents and Trump campaign staffers testing positive, and Herman Cain diagnosed with the virus shortly after the rally and passing away in late July.
“It’s not good for the president, obviously, if his supporters get sick and die and cannot vote,” said Cabrera. “So for him to go ahead with an indoor rally — why do this?”
Hoover replied that Trump seemed to be trying to “gin up the enthusiasm that he needs” from his supporters, and noted that holding an indoor rally — especially considering many attendees at recent Trump rallies disdain wearing face masks — was against the advice of health officials, “in direct violation of the Covid-19 guidance of the governor of the state of Nevada.”
The rally “could do real harm to the people who attend,” Hoover added.
Cabrera asked Avlon if he thought the rally was “risky politically.”
“Well, it’s risky politically if your supporters start dying,” he replied.
“It’s no secret the Trump administration and the Trump campaign doesn’t think rules or laws apply to them,” Avlon continued. “Look, pandemics don’t care about partisan politics but when partisans start putting a pandemic through that political prism, then you’ve got a golden escalator to the Darwin awards.”
Avlon noted that there was a “massive spike in Covid cases” after the Tulsa rally. “To double down on that shows how deeply needy the president is to get energy from rallies and how many of his supporters would love to be there with him and share space even at expense of their health. Jim Acosta interviewed one who said, ‘if I die, I die.'”
Watch the video above, via CNN.
