Nine People Who Attended Trump’s Minnesota Rally Have Tested Positive for the Coronavirus

Nine people who attended President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Bemidji, Minnesota last month have since tested positive for the new coronavirus. Two were hospitalized, and one is still in intensive care. It is nearly impossible to say with certainty that attendees were infected at the political gathering, and one person was already infectious while attending, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Health. Two others reported attending a protest that sprang up in response to the rally. However, the president’s cavalier attitude towards the virus has led him to urge his supporters to remove their masks and gather in groups larger than recommended by public health authorities. By contrast, former Vice President Joe Biden has eschewed big rallies out of caution against the virus. The commander in chief plans to resume rallies Monday after he recovers from his own COVID-19 infection.