President Trump and scores of supporters gathered for a rally in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Tuesday without masks, despite the urging of a local Republican official and a state mandate.
Dave Plyler, the GOP chairman of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, told The Winston-Salem Journal that he felt Trump should abide by Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D) order for individuals to wear a face covering when unable to socially distance.
“It’s been ordered by the governor,” Plyler told the news outlet. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in North Carolina, do as the governor says.”
Plyler is a supporter of the president and is pleased he is making the trip to Winston-Salem.
However, he believes if Trump wore a mask, it would set the right example for other people.
“You know what would be neat? If before he got off the plane if he gave everybody a box of Make America Great Again masks,” Plyler said.
But Trump, who has only worn a mask a few times in public, did not wear a face covering while in North Carolina.
And only a smattering of supporters could be seen wearing masks, some with “MAGA” emblazoned on them.
During his remarks, Trump mocked Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) over the controversy surrounding her visit to a salon where she was caught on camera not wearing a mask.
He also quipped that the rally should be considered a “peaceful protest” to avoid violating rules that limit the size of public gatherings.
Trump has largely forgone wearing a mask on camera and has openly mocked Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for wearing one.
Public health experts, including officials in the Trump administration, have cited the use of face coverings as one of the most effective ways to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The U.S. has 6.3 million reported COVID-19 cases, the most of any country in the world.
Trump told supporters that ‘the economy will collapse’ if Joe Biden is elected in November, warning that ‘mob rule’ will take over the United States.
‘Biden’s plan is to appease the domestic terrorists. My plan is to arrest them,’ he said.
Trump said before China sent ‘the plague’ he was ‘sailing through an easy election’.
Trump also attacked Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris, saying it would be ‘an insult to the country’ is she became the first female president.
Referencing the much-vaunted border wall – a key 2016 campaign promise – Trump insisted Mexico was indeed paying for it.
‘Mexico is paying for the wall,’ he said. ‘Even though they don’t say it. We’re going to put a toll booth at the border. And maybe do something with remittances,’ he said.
Trump said the wall ‘is almost completed’ and was ‘wired for every single thing you could have’.
As of August 7, work had been completed on 30 miles of barriers where none had existed prior to Trump’s presidency, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Of that amount, five miles are ‘primary’ barriers – the first to be encountered – while 25 miles are ‘secondary’ barriers beyond the primary ones.
Funding had been identified for another 157 miles of new wall that is ‘in the pre-construction phase,’ according to the agency.
As the rally finished, after an hour and 10 minutes, he promised to ‘make America wealthy again, make America strong again, make America proud again, make America safe again, and make America great again.’
Biden is launching a new push on economic issues as polls show voters beginning to trust his approach to reversing the job losses and manufacturing contraction brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden opens the new front with a campaign trip to Michigan on Wednesday, a must-win state that Democrats just barely lost in 2016.
There he’ll unveil a new policy aimed at tackling offshoring — the practice of U.S. companies basing some operations in lower-tax countries — and hammer at what he sees as Trump’s broken promises on improving U.S. manufacturing and reducing offshoring.
“Offshoring, outsourcing, Buy American. These are areas where Donald Trump’s record has not been remotely matched by the reality,” he said.
Between 2016 and 2018, the most recent year for which data is available, the U.S. lost 1,800 factories to offshoring and outsourcing, according to the progressive Economic Policy Institute.
Biden turns to economic issues as recent polls show his standing on the issue improving.
It has long been the one policy area where the former vice president lagged Trump.
But in several new polls, Biden is tied or within 1 point of Trump on who voters trust to handle the economy.
Biden also gets marks from voters for his focus on the pandemic, as voters indicate they believe that any economic recovery is tied to the safety of people returning to work, school, restaurants and shopping.