Trump readying to resume his signature rallies: campaign

[WASHINGTON] President Donald Trump is set to resume his signature rallies in the next two weeks, his campaign said on Monday, as the Republican seeks to recover from multiple crises five months ahead of election day.

Mr Trump has relied on the rallies throughout his presidency to project his brand of populist nationalism, often drawing well over 10,000 people to arenas around the country. The show-like events were meant to be a crucial piece of his reelection campaign but halted in March when the country went into lockdown to stop the coronavirus.

According to a Politico report that the campaign confirmed to AFP, Mr Trump will restart in the next two weeks. Venue ideas and measures to keep the crowds from turning into coronavirus-spreading hotspots are likely to be presented to Mr Trump within days.

Mr Trump is trailing his Democratic challenger Joe Biden in many national polls and also in must-win swing states ahead of the November election. Job approval for the president is down after his response to the pandemic and the recent turmoil over police brutality, sparked by the death of an unarmed black man during his arrest in Minneapolis.

Mr Trump visibly chafes when restricted to formal events, and he has long seen rallies as the most natural outlet for his raucous style, with appearances stretching to two hours and more.

Although the coronavirus remains a threat, his campaign now feels that the crowds at daily street protests have lifted the political pressure on Mr Trump to avoid large gatherings of his own.

"Americans are ready to get back to action and so is President Trump. The great American comeback is real and the rallies will be tremendous," campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement to Politico.

"You'll again see the kind of crowds and enthusiasm that sleepy Joe Biden can only dream of."

AFP