Trump rally sign-up includes disclaimer about potential COVID-19 exposure

Those wishing to attend President Trump’s rally next week in Oklahoma must agree not to sue the Trump campaign or host venue in the event they contract the coronavirus.

The Trump campaign on Thursday formally announced that the president’s first rally in three months will take place June 19 in Tulsa. The page for guests to sign up for free tickets to the event includes a disclaimer related to the virus.

“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,” the statement reads.

“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 president’s rally comes as the coronavirus pandemic is still raging throughout the U.S., with cases in several states spiking as businesses are allowed to reopen. The campaign is not expected to require guests to wear masks or socially distance at the event, as Trump has chafed at the optics of both.

Public health experts have warned that mass gatherings can be dangerous in spreading the virus. North Carolina, Arizona and Florida — states where Trump has said he will hold future rallies — have seen their case totals increase in recent weeks.

But Trump has been eager to get back on the campaign trail and has been traveling more regularly in recent weeks in hopes of signaling that the country is ready to move on and restart the economy. Advisers believe mass protests in recent weeks have opened the door to resuming large political events.

There are more than 2 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins University data, and more than 113,000 people in the country have died of the disease.

As the disclaimer went out on Thursday, Surgeon General Jerome Adams was speaking at an event in Dallas with the president.

“We flattened the curve, but that doesn’t mean that COVID has gone away, that it’s any less contagious, that it’s any less deadly to vulnerable communities,” Adams said.