Trump delivers a 22-minute rally speech after large crowds blocked under Covid-19 restrictions in swinging Minnesota

With Minnesota reaching its highest number of coronavirus cases in a single day ever, Donald Trump attacked Governor Tim Falls for restricting him to his campaign rally before a short campaign speech to about 250 attendees.

“It’s all because the governor wants to play the games,” said the president, before shaking hands and throwing campaign hats at his supporters in a surplus area at a rally at Rochester International Airport on Friday.

He said, “He is a weak ruler, he has done a terrible job, and he doesn’t know what the hell to do.”

After a 22-minute speech interspersed with applause, the president returned to Air Force One.

The president criticized the state’s Democratic Governor as well as Attorney General Keith Ellison, claiming that Minnesota officials are responsible for “de-culture” and trying to “take away your freedom and rights.”

More than 3,100 cases of Covid-19 were reported on Friday, the second day in a row of record-breaking daily cases, eight months after a public health crisis that infected at least 9 million Americans and killed more than 229,000 people. According to Johns Hopkins. University.

Health officials have warned that the president’s campaign rally could pose a significant risk of the disease spreading.

The Minnesota Department of Health has linked at least 28 cases of COVID-19 to other Trump campaign events in the state, including at least 16 infections linked to a rally in Bemidji.

Rochester International Airport, where supporters await the president’s speech, is about 10 miles from Mayo Clinic, which has said that “preventive measures such as masking, good hand hygiene and social distancing are essential steps to stop the spread of the virus, and protect our location. Communities and our neighbors.”

“Community members who choose to attend a major event that go beyond the recommended guidelines should contact their healthcare provider and assess them for the possibility of testing for Covid-19,” the clinic said in a statement before the gathering.

The governor issued an Executive Order limiting the crowd to 250 people.

Mr. Trump told the audience to “remember” the governor’s order, describing it as a “little thing but a horrific thing for thousands of people”.

He said, “We depend on your loyalty.”

President and Democratic opponent Joe Biden held duel rallies across the state on Friday, as the former vice president held a “drive-through” rally of government fairgrounds, as he made his second visit to the swing state amid the campaign trail.

Trump won the state by a narrow margin in 2016, defeating Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton by a margin of less than 2 percent.

His solo event in Minnesota after back-to-back events in Michigan. On Saturday, the campaign is expected to visit the battlefield in Pennsylvania.