Elections in the US | How was Trump's first rally since the lockdown for the coronavirus pandemic began
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, held his first campaign event since March, when the confinement measures to combat the coronavirus in that country began.
The rally took place in the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, before an audience smaller than expected.
Earlier in the week, Trump claimed on Twitter that nearly a million people had requested tickets to the event.
But the compound, which can hold 19,000 people, was far from full, and plans to use an outside area in the event of an "overflow" were abandoned.
The event was held amid concerns that crowding could increase the spread of COVID-19.
Just hours before the rally, Trump's team reported that six staff members involved in the organization tested positive.
This campaign event is one of the largest indoor gatherings to have been held in the US since the COVID-19 outbreak began in the country.
The assistants had to sign a clause that exempts the Trump campaign from responsibility for any illness.
On Friday, the Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit calling for social distancing guidelines to be followed. The Trump campaign, however, said attendees would have to pass temperature checks before entering, and that they would be offered face masks.
In the US, more than 2.2 million cases of Covid-19 and 119,000 deaths from the disease have been reported, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The Trump campaign initially said that President and Vice President Mike Pence would speak first in an outdoor stage set up for large crowds.
Trump supporters began lining up earlier this week for a chance to enter the compound.
At least 100,000 people were expected to gather in downtown Tulsa, but seeing that the number was much lower, organizers canceled the outdoor appearance.
The campaign team blamed "radical protesters" and the media for trying to "scare" supporters.
There were some incidents outside the auditorium, but no serious problems were reported.
Inside the compound, the upper level was largely empty.
What did Trump say?
In his opening remarks, Trump said there were "very bad people out there doing bad things," but did not elaborate.
He told those present that they were "warriors" for attending despite coronavirus warnings and that the "silent majority" was "stronger than ever."
About Joe Biden, his Democratic rival in the presidential race, he said he was "a helpless puppet of the radical left."
Regarding the fight against the coronavirus, Trump said he had encouraged officials to decrease the number of tests, because that led to more cases being discovered. He described the tests as a "double-edged sword."
"Here's the bad part: When you test at that level, you're going to find more people, you will find more cases," Trump told the cheering crowd. "So I told them: 'decrease the tests.'
Later, a White House official said the president was "obviously joking."
What is the context?
The rally was held amid fears that it could turn into a "super contagion" event. The number of new COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma has risen this week.
In a Facebook post, Tulsa Mayor George Theron Bynum acknowledged that Tulsa residents were divided over being the first city to host such an event.
"We do this as our positive covid-19 cases are increasing, but while our hospital capacity remains strong," the mayor wrote.
“Some think it's cool, others think it's reckless. Regardless of where each of us falls on that spectrum, we will traverse it as a community, "he wrote.
There was also concern among Tulsa authorities that there would be clashes between supporters and opponents of the president.
"Any protester, anarchist, agitator, looter, or vulgar going to Oklahoma, please understand that you will not be treated as if you were in New York, Seattle or Minneapolis. It will be a very different scene!" Said Trump.
Trump had initially planned to hold the rally on Friday. But he changed the date after learning it was June 19, a date known as Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in America.
The choice of location was also controversial. In 1921 Tulsa was the scene of a massacre in which white crowds attacked black people, killing about 300 people.
Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, BBC US correspondent.
Political demonstrations are a source of inspiration and vigor for Donald Trump. He draws energy from auditoriums full of enthusiastic supporters, and uses the responses to his speeches, sometimes long and free-form, to feel what issues resonate with his loyal base.
For more than three months, as Covid-19 has swept the United States, the president has had to do without these emotional and strategic sounding boards.
Now the rallies are back, even as virus cases are reaching a new record in many states and public health officials continue to warn of the dangers of large crowds.
With less than five months until Election Day, the President is showing this event as the beginning of his reelection bid.
Given that it celebrated its official launch of the campaign in Orlando almost exactly a year ago, it is perhaps best seen as the restart of a campaign that has struggled to stand up amid the pandemic and protests against institutional racism and excessive force. from the police.
The president is now framing his campaign around the slogan "the great American comeback." Given the recent turmoil, and the drop in polls, Trump clearly hopes that the Tulsa rally will be the beginning of his own political renaissance.
