US President Donald Trump is addressing supporters at his first campaign rally since March, when the US coronavirus lockdown began.
Earlier this week, Mr Trump boasted on Twitter that almost a million people had requested tickets for the event at Tulsa’s Bank of Oklahoma Center.
But the 19,000-seat arena was far from full and plans for him to address an outside “overflow” area were abandoned.
There are concerns the event could increase the spread of Covid-19.
Just hours before the rally, the campaign said six staff members involved in organising it had tested positive.
Mr Trump’s re-election campaign rally is one of the biggest indoor gatherings in the US since the country’s Covid-19 outbreak began.
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Those attending had to sign a waiver protecting the Trump campaign from responsibility for any illness.
On Friday, Oklahoma’s supreme court rejected a lawsuit asking that social distancing guidelines be followed. However, the Trump campaign said attendees would have to pass temperature checks before being allowed into the venue – and that they would be offered face masks.
More than 2.2 million cases of Covid-19 and 119,000 associated deaths have been reported in the US, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Mr Trump’s supporters gathered half-an-hour before the president was due on stageThe Trump campaign initially said that the president and Vice-President Mike Pence would first speak at an outdoor stage set up for overflow crowds.
Supporters had began queuing earlier this week for a chance to get into the arena, amid expectations that at least 100,000 people would gather in central Tulsa.
But when the numbers failed to appear, campaign officials cancelled the outdoor appearance, blaming “radical protesters” and the media for attempting to “frighten off” supporters.
There were some volatile scenes outside the venue but no serious trouble was reported.
Inside the arena itself, the upper tier was largely empty, although the actual turnout is not yet clear.
What did Trump say?
In his opening remarks, Mr Trump said there had been “very bad people outside, they were doing bad things”, but did not elaborate.
He told those present that they were “warriors” for attending despite the coronavirus warnings and said that the “silent majority” was “stronger than ever before”.
Attendees signed a waiver protecting the Trump campaign from responsibility for any illnessTaking aim at his Democratic presidential rival, he described Joe Biden as “a helpless puppet of the radical left”.
Mr Trump also cast doubt on the genuineness of some of the country’s coronavirus cases and accused left-wingers of “desecrating” statues at recent Black Lives Matter protests.
What’s the background?
The rally has been held amid fears it could become a “super spreader” event. The number of new cases of Covid-19 in Oklahoma has been rising this week.
In a Facebook post, Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum acknowledge that Tulsa’s residents were divided over it being the first city to host such an event.
People had to pass temperature checks before they could enter the venue“We do this as our positive Covid-19 cases are rising, but while our hospital capacity remains strong. Some think it is great, some think it is reckless. Regardless of where each of us falls on that spectrum, we will go through it as a community,” he wrote.
BBC News
