Donald Trump wants to hold rallies and nothing is going to stop him. Even if those events are being held in states with rising COVID case loads. Iowa certainly fits the bill. The state is currently seeing around 20% of its tests come back positive.
Republican Governor Kim Reynolds has ignored the rising cases and moved the reopen the state at a breakneck pace. She also says that she trusts Iowans to do “the right thing.” But on Wednesday night, she was appearing at Donald Trump’s Des Moines rally where neither social distancing or mask use was being practiced.
In mid-September, Reynolds told reporters, “I think the goal is to do what we can to reduce the spread of the virus. I believe that is the end goal and that we can get there without a mask mandate. I believe that and that’s what I’m going to consistently do. I trust Iowans to do the right thing, and I think they are doing the right thing.”
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has mandated masks and social distancing for large gatherings, yet she is at Donald Trump’s super-spreader event in Iowa where neither are being observed.
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The GOP has made it clear that they won’t follow any rules, even the ones they made themselves. https://t.co/GbJisZaeZe
— Biden War Room (Text JOIN to 30330) (@BidenWarRoom) October 14, 2020
On Wednesday night, though, tens of thousands of Iowan Republicans are not doing the right thing. Shots of Trump’s rally in Des Moines feature people tightly packed together and not wearing masks.
Days ago, Reynolds encouraged Iowans to attend the rally despite the state’s current COVID-19 predicament. She tweeted, “Make sure to request your free tickets for the upcoming rally w/President Donald Trump. It will be this Wednesday at 6:00 PM in Des Moines! Protect Iowa’s future, and show your support for President Trump!”
Make sure to request your free tickets for the upcoming rally w/President @realDonaldTrump. It will be this Wednesday at 6:00 PM in Des Moines! Protect Iowa’s future, and show your support for President Trump! #Trump2020 https://t.co/x7fef4MLMa
— Kim Reynolds (@KimReynoldsIA) October 12, 2020
Todd Neikirk is a New Jersey based politics and technology writer. His work has been featured in psfk.com, foxsports.com and hillreporter.com. He enjoys sports, politics, comic books and spending time at the shore with his family.
