'Ask the family of Herman Cain,' DNC chair Perez says when asked opinion of live Trump campaign events
Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez delivered a sharp reaction Tuesday when asked what he thought of President Donald Trump holding in-person campaign events during the Democratic National Convention, which is being conducted in a virtual format.
"Ask the family of Herman Cain," Perez told Politico in response to a question about the wisdom of holding live events amid the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 170,000 people in the U.S.
Cain died last month at age 74 after contracting COVID-19. A Black Voices for Trump co-chair, Cain attended Trump's June 20 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he was seen without a mask in close proximity to others. It is unknown if he contracted the virus at the event.
When asked by reporters a day after Cain's death if he thought the former 2012 Republican presidential candidate might have become infected at the Tulsa rally, Trump said, "No, I don’t think he did. No." But critics have often blamed the indoor rally for Cain's death, despite the lack of clear evidence on how he became sick.
Perez invoked Cain's death to illustrate why he did not think holding political rallies offered "a good model for how people should conduct themselves" during the pandemic.
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Trump held rallies on Minnesota and Wisconsin on Monday night as part of a series of stops intended to blunt the message of the Democratic National Convention, where former Joe Biden will be officially nominated as the party's presidential nominee.
Hundreds of supporters attended Trump's rally in Wisconsin on Monday. The event was outside, where experts say the chance of coronavirus transmission is greatly reduced. But the attendees were in close contact and many were not wearing masks, despite guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that recommend face coverings and physical distancing.
Trump has more rallies planned this week in Yuma, Arizona, and Biden's home town of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Contributing: Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DNC chair Tom Perez on Trump events: 'Ask the family of Herman Cain'
