After a much lower than expected turnout last month at his first campaign rally since the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, President Donald Trump has decided to hold an outdoor campaign rally, setting a gathering for this coming Saturday in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
The tarmac rally at the former Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire could well be a blueprint for other campaign stops by the President, as he tries to get his campaign rallies going again, despite the virus outbreak.
The announcement of the Saturday night rally came as the President again downplayed the severity of the virus, which has claimed over 130,000 American lives.
In a July Fourth speech, the President again said a recent bump in cases was due more to extra testing, adding "99 percent of which are totally harmless," flying in the face of data showing thousands more people have been hospitalized in recent weeks.
The President gave two outdoor speeches over the weekend, one at Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota, then other from the White House to honor July Fourth.
So far, the President's campaign destinations have not exactly been the most important swing states in the 2020 race, as he's been to Oklahoma, South Dakota, and then New Hampshire on Saturday.
But the decision to hold an outdoor rally also comes as polling continues to show a strong edge in November for former Vice President Joe Biden.
On Sunday, the President was watching Fox News - and was not happy about a segment on the November race - where the discussion centered on poll numbers showing Biden with a double digit lead nationally.
"Fox News gladly puts up the phony suppression polls as soon as they come out," the President grumbled on Twitter, again registering his disappointment with his favorite cable news network.
"We are leading in the REAL polls," the President tweeted, as he has called on Fox to fire their "Fake Pollster."
The latest polls certainly show an uphill fight for the President.
While the President seems to be more than ready to resume campaigning, former Vice President Joe Biden continues to ride out the virus outbreak at his home in Wilmington, Delaware.
"We remain locked in the battle for the soul of this nation, but believe me, truly, it’s a battle we can and we will win if we act together," Biden said in a July Fourth speech from his house.
"I don’t want to jinx myself. I know the polling data is very good, but I think it’s really early," Biden told reporters last week during an event in Delaware.
"It’s much too early to make any judgment. I think we’ve got a whole lot more work to do," Biden added.
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