Trump Claims He Instructed His Team To ‘Slow Down’ Coronavirus Testing

TOPLINE

At his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Sunday, President Trump repeated the erroneous claim that increased testing accounts for a recent surge in coronavirus cases in some states and said he told his team to slow down testing.

KEY FACTS

KEY BACKGROUND

The rally has been marred by controversy since it was first announced, both for the fact that it was originally planned on Juneteenth, a holiday of great significance to African Americans, and due to the dire public health implications of a large indoor rally during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Public health experts, including some from the Trump administration, had warned against the rally. Several events on Saturday, including six Trump staffers working on the rally testing positive for coronavirus and Tulsa County reporting its highest number of cases ever, seemed to confirm those fears.

News Peg

Despite dismissing fears about the virus, the campaign took legal precautions to avoid legal liability for a possible outbreak. The campaign had rally-goers sign a waiver to “assume all risks” of coronavirus exposure and agreeing not to sue the campaign if they get infected.