#Pence defends holding Tulsa campaign rally, says precautions are in place

Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday defended the decision to go ahead with a campaign rally in Oklahoma on Saturday, saying safety precautions will be in place for the crowds that show up and it will give President Trump the ability to connect with his supporters and tell the story of his administration.

Pence said the president wants to hold the rally in Tulsa despite concerns over the coronavirus pandemic because it’s time to bring the 2020 presidential campaign to the people.

“The president wants to be out, he wants to connect to our supporters,” the vice president said during an interview on “Fox & Friends.” “Literally over a million people have signed up to try and obtain an opportunity to come and attend the rally.”

He said the campaign is working with Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt to ensure that people have hand sanitizers, temperature screenings and masks.

Pence, who said the right to peaceably assemble is enshrined in the Constitution, said the president has a message to communicate.

“The president and I are very confident that we’re going to be able to restart these rallies and tell the story of what this president has done through these unprecedented times but also over the last three and a half years and drive toward a great victory on Nov. 3,” he said.

Trump on Monday declared that he would not allow the “Far Left Fake News Media” to “Covid Shame” him to cancel the rally in Tulsa, the first his campaign has held since March 2.

He also pointed out that the media hasn’t complained about the health risks tied to widespread protests that are happening across the country against the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police department.

Pence said one of the reasons the campaign chose Oklahoma for the campaign restart is because of the job it did in opening the state.

According to the Oklahoma Department of Health, the state has recorded 8,417 coronavirus cases and 359 deaths due to the virus.

It also noted on its website that the number of cases is trending higher, with 186 cases recorded on Monday and 158 on Sunday.

No additional deaths were reported on Monday.

Tulsa has had 1,176 cases with 48 deaths.