Original Story by Don Dike-Anukam
Update: Sept. 11, 12:40 p.m.
Final details for President Trump’s northern Nevada rally have been updated on his campaign website. The president’s team has moved the event south to a rally hosted at the Minden-Tahoe Airport in Minden, Nevada.
The rally is still being billed as a “Great American Comeback Event,” as was the original rally at the Reno airport, which was canceled due to capacity issues in violation of the planned venues lease terms with the Airport Authority.
The governor’s COVID-19 Task Force, which met Thursday, has not rolled back any restrictions on gathering sizes, as outlined in Gov. Sisolak’s Directive 021, which caps indoor and outdoor gatherings at 50 people.
Update: 12:45 p.m.
Despite the Trump campaign’s declaration that the president will be traveling to Nevada on the dates previously planned, Sept. 12 and 13, he won’t be hosting a rally at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, according to a statement released by the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority.
The 5,000-person rally, the statement said, violates the lease agreement for hangar tenants. A memo to that effect was distributed to tenants on Tuesday.
“The hangar lease requires tenants to comply with all applicable state laws and directives,” the statement said. “After reviewing the lease, the airport’s attorney found the rally would be in violation of Directive 021 from the Nevada Governor.”
The airport’s new CEO, Daren Griffin, said the memo sent to hangar tenants had nothing to do with politics.
“The letter we sent is about directives and safety and not political campaigns,” he said. “We would hold our tenants to the same standard whether it was a Democratic or Republican rally or any other type of gathering. We are complying with the Governor’s directive and Washoe County’s recommendation during a pandemic.”
Airport officials also noted concerns about interference with airport operations due to the planned rally’s proximity to active runways and potential counter-demonstrations.
Update: 11:45 a.m.
President Trump’s campaign visit to Reno appears to have been canceled just a few days before it was scheduled to take place. Today Trump’s Nevada campaign co-chair Adam Laxalt tweeted that the rally venues canceled the events in both Reno and Las Vegas, a move he called outrageous.
Despite Laxalt’s accusation that the cancelation was caused by “partisan political retribution” on behalf of the governor, Gov. Sisolak responded on Twitter that he had nothing to do with the events or their cancellations.
The governor, via his Twitter account, did reiterate that Nevada was still following COVID-19 recommendations from the White House that limits the size of gatherings, as it has been for the past several months.
“Current statewide emergency directives include mandatory face coverings, limitations on public and private gatherings to no more than 50 people, and other measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” Sisolak tweeted.
The event has yet to be removed from the Trump campaign website, and those wishing to attend can still complete the registration form to attend. The campaign also issued a statement that said, “President Trump will be traveling to Nevada on the dates planned. Additional details will be announced soon.” However there was no indication if the visit would include public events.
Similar to Laxalt’s missive, the campaign statement also blamed Democrats.
“Democrats are trying to keep President Trump from speaking to voters because they know the enthusiasm behind his re-election campaign cannot be matched by Joe Biden,” it said.
Trump has continued to host outdoor rallies as part of his re-election campaign, refusing to wear a mask and facilitate social distancing, despite state-ordered mandates. He was most recently criticized for such a rally on Tuesday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
According to a report in the Washington Post, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the rallies were “peaceful protests,” likening the campaign events to demonstrations held nationwide to protest racial inequities.
Original Story
The Trump campaign announced Monday that the president will make a stop in Reno on Saturday, Sept. 12, for a 4:30 p.m. speech at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport.
The visit is part of a series of events billed as the “Great American Comeback” and is one of two stops in Nevada. A similar event is scheduled for Sunday in Las Vegas, also at an airport.
Hosting rallies at airports and in hangars has become a way for President Trump to continue live campaign rallies and stay connected to his base during the coronavirus pandemic. Similar outdoor rallies have been hosted in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, as well.
Trump’s visit marks the first presidential candidate visit to Nevada since both Democratic candidate Joe Biden and Trump received their respective party nominations.
Attendees must register prior to the event at https://events.donaldjtrump.com/events/president-donald-j-trump-to-deliver-remarks-live-from-reno-nv-september-12
