Trump campaign forcing Tulsa rally attendees to sign form saying they won’t sue if they get coronavirus
The sign-up page for tickets to President Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa next week says attendees "voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19" and agree not to hold the campaign or venue liable should they get sick.
The sign-up page for tickets to President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa next week includes something that hasn't appeared ahead of previous rallies: a disclaimer noting that attendees "voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19" and agree not to hold the campaign or venue liable should they get sick.
Trump's reelection campaign announced Thursday that the president's next "Make America Great Again" rally will be held June 19 at the BOK Center.
The rally comes as the United States has surpassed 2 million confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, with more than 112,000 people dead. More than a dozen states are now tallying record-high new infections; Oklahoma is not among them, although Tulsa County has reported a gradual uptick of new cases since the beginning of June, according to health department data compiled by The Washington Post.
At the bottom of the registration page for tickets to the upcoming Trump campaign rally is a disclaimer notifying attendees that "by clicking register below, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present."
"By attending the Rally, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.; BOK Center; ASM Global; or any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, or volunteers liable for any illness or injury," the notice states.
The BOK Center has a capacity of more than 19,000, although it was not immediately clear what measures the Trump campaign planned to take to ensure that attendees follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations for social distancing.
Trump has long credited his raucous campaign rallies with helping to power his rise to the White House, and in an interview with ABC News last month, he suggested that a socially-distanced crowd would be less than satisfactory.
"I can't have a rally with, you know, seven seats in between everybody. And I hope we can do that soon," he said. "The rallies are the least of it, but you know, people are asking me all the time. Just last night, I got three calls - 'When are we going to do a rally?' "
Oklahoma's health department reported 146 new confirmed covid-19 cases Thursday and two additional deaths in the state, bringing the statewide totals to 7,626 cases and 357 deaths, according to Oklahoma City-based KOCO-TV.
The Washington Post’s Toluse Olorunnipa contributed to this report.