Trump, ‘restless’to fly out of Washington to campaign for election

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Top aids and campaign officials of President Donald Trump are exploring plans to get him outside Washington and have productive trips in the coming weeks.
• According to his officials, travelling outside the capital would cater a dual purpose — a good reason to use the Air Force One and to deliver a message to the public that they still need to take the virus outbreak situation seriously.
• Trump said he hopes to be back at rallies soon days after saying that his only goal is to make “the country better.”

President Donald Trump’s top aides and campaign officials are finding ways to venture for events outside of Washington in the coming weeks as the president becomes “frustrated” since the countrywide shutdowns.

According to two sources aware of the discussion, Trump’s senior advisers are currently considering plans for him to visit the frontliners, health care workers and Americans whose jobs have been affected by the virus outbreak — despite national guidelines restricting unnecessary trips.

There’s still no clear date yet for Trump’s travel plans, but the White House is targeting the week of May 4 for the president to leave Washington “in a safe and responsible way.”

Trump’s officials said that any travel outside the capital would cater a dual purpose — a good reason to use big resources such as Air Force One and to give a message to the public that they still need to take the pandemic seriously. They also acknowledged that next month would be a good time to exercise a few and quick presidential trips.

“Like many Americans, the president is looking to travel when it is safe to do so,” one senior administration official said.

There are no scheduled rallies for Trump yet as his campaign team is still assessing how to organize. Despite the uncertainty brought by the current outbreak, the president’s campaign has pledged to hold rallies before November’s election.

In a statement to NBC News, Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said: “The coronavirus will pass and the president is looking forward to getting back out on the campaign trail and holding rallies. We will get back to those rallies. Never fear, the president is certain that we’re going to be back out there speaking directly to the American people.”

During a recent coronavirus briefing, Trump said he hopes to be back at rallies soon and predicted that they would even “become bigger than ever.” He mentioned it just days after saying that making the country better was his only goal and that he didn’t “care about campaigning.”

A former official said that Trump is frustrated that “he’s stuck and wants to get things back to normal.”

Last Friday, Trump said rallies are “an important part of politics” and suggesting he’s not a fan of spaced-out seating arrangement which is the current practice in the White House briefing room. “It loses a lot of flavor” when people are sitting with empty seats between them, he said.

Source: AOL.com