President Trump said the thousands of supporters gathering in Tulsa, Oklahoma, should be the ones to decide whether to wear coronavirus masks during his packed rally.
Trump told Axios on Friday that masks are a “double-edged sword” and said that while there are recommendations to wear face coverings, it will ultimately be up to those in attendance.
“I recommend people do what they want,” Trump said despite warnings from experts that people should continue to avoid large crowds and wear masks while out in public as the pandemic continues.
The president said that “we have to get back to living our lives.” However, he did acknowledge just how easy it is to spread COVID-19 while he discussed the recent uptick in coronavirus cases emerging in China, where the virus first originated late last year.
“It’s hard to stop it. It’s the most contagious virus anyone’s ever seen. I could look at you, and all of a sudden, you have the virus. Or vice versa,” Trump said.
He also reiterated his warnings that police in Tulsa will not treat protesters at the rally like police in other large cities, such as New York and Minneapolis, have.
“Oklahoma’s much tougher on law and order” than other areas in the United States, he said.
Trump’s rally is planned for Saturday evening and is expected to draw tens of thousands of supporters and a large contingent of protesters who oppose the president.
The rally comes as Oklahoma and other states have experienced a surge in new COVID-19 cases. Oklahoma has had more than 10,000 confirmed cases and at least 368 deaths since the pandemic began, and the U.S. has had more than 2.2 million cases total and close to 120,000 deaths.