U.S. President Donald Trump is winding down the remaining days before the election by holding a series of large rallies, but the show may not end when the polls close.
As Politico reported, top campaign surrogates have been told to keep their schedules open for the possibility of more rallies held after Election Day if the race has not yet been decided. The report noted that Trump’s campaign is anticipating the potential for long recounts in closely contested states, and that could put the president on the road as a morale boost to his supporters while the race is still being decided.
“There’s been discussions about travel opportunities for Trump and his family if we don’t have a result on election day, but nothing definitive on where he would go or how many people we would deploy,” said one unnamed aide.
“If we still don’t have results in Michigan and North Carolina or Pennsylvania and Nevada on Nov. 4, he might hit those states individually.”
As the report noted, Trump has been known to buck campaigning norms, including holding a series of appearances in December 2016 after his surprising win over Hillary Clinton. These were billed as a “thank you tour” and took the president-elect to a number of key battlegrounds including Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The report characterized the rallies as a “final victory lap” in which crowds chanted “lock her up” at the defeated Democratic opponent and cheered for the Republican soon to enter the White House. Trump then began staging reelection events shortly after taking office.
As The Inquisitr reported, Trump had taken his operation off the road for several months after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, but he resumed holding events over the summer. He has come under sharp scrutiny for continuing to hold large and in-person events despite warnings from public health experts that this could lead to the spread of coronavirus. Many of his appearances have included tightly packed crowds and no requirements for social distancing, with pictures and video showing many supporters without masks.
Trump himself became infected, one of a number of top Republicans to test positive for coronavirus following a reception held at the White House to celebrate the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
Trump’s schedule remains full in the final days before Americans take to the polls. As Politico reported, his campaign has announced a series of 14 appearances across key states such as Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
