“President Donald Trump will be holding an outdoor rally in New Hampshire next weekend, his campaign announced on Sunday. After recent events hosted by the president in which face masks were markedly absent, this time the campaign said face masks will be handed out and their use will be “strongly encouraged” among those who attend. ‘There will be ample access to hand sanitizer and all attendees will be provided a face mask that they are strongly encouraged to wear,’ the campaign said in a news release. Before his rally in Tulsa last month, Trump had notably refused to endorse the use of face masks. ‘I recommend people do what they want,’ he said” Slate reports.

“The president’s rally will gather supporters at Portsmouth International Airport and will mark the first campaign event for the president since the sparsely attended event in Tulsa last month. Several campaign staff and Secret Service personnel have tested positive for the coronavirus since that rally. On Friday, Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Trump’s eldest son and a top fundraising official for the campaign, tested positive for the virus. She had attended the Tulsa rally. Her diagnosis was made public days after Herman Cain, the former Republican presidential hopeful who was also at the rally, was hospitalized with the coronavirus on Wednesday.”

“Face masks were few and far between on Friday when Trump addressed a crowd of supporters at Mount Rushmore. There also seemed to be no effort to socially distance any of the attendees. The next day at the White House, few who attended an Independence Day celebration were wearing masks either.”