Trump rally organisers fire water at crowd as supporters pass out in Texas heat
Truck sprays water on the crowd as supporters wait in heat during Trump’s Tampa rally
(Screengrab/video)A water truck had to be brought in to fire a cooling stream at the crowd for President Trump’s Florida rally on Thursday, after at least one person passed out and many people complained of health issues standing in the heat.
Almost a dozen people were sent to hospitals after standing uncovered in scorching heat in the middle of the day at Tampa, Florida, where temperatures were said to rise above 30C.
Officials with Tampa Fire Rescue told NBC News that one attendee fainted during Mr Trump’s rally, another had a seizure and 10 were taken to the hospital just listed as “sick†without specific details of what happened.
Reporters present at the rally posted photos and videos of the fire trucks spraying water on the crowd to provide some relief.
It’s so hot here in Tampa (87 degrees) that there’s a truck blasting water at the back of the Trump rally crowd. Multiple people have passed out already, with supporters calling for medics every 5-10 minutes. pic.twitter.com/Iu7I2KbgYi
— Monica Alba (@albamonica) October 29, 2020
It’s hot hot hot at Trump’s large rally. 87 and 71% humidity. Have noticed EMTs provide assistance for at least two people in the crowd, one carried out on a stretcher. Staffers trying get water bottles to people but quickly running out and having to restock pic.twitter.com/CStmlY8SoN
— Emily Larsen (@emilyelarsen) October 29, 2020
This is not the first time Mr Trump has been criticised for holding rallies with a total disregard for the health of his supporters. Two days before the Tampa rally, Mr Trump’s supporters were left freezing in the cold for hours after an event at an airport in Omaha, when shuttle buses taking attendees to the rally were unable to return.
Seven people were hospitalised from the rally and 30 people were treated on site, the Omaha police department said in a statement.
Mr Trump’s rivals have been attacking him for holding rallies amid the pandemic without proper preparations for social distancing or mask usage. He has on multiple occasions downplayed the effects of the virus.
On Wednesday, speaking to reporters in Delaware, Joe Biden said the Omaha incident shows "Trump's whole approach to this crisis."
"Just look what happened last night in Omaha, after the Trump rally ended, hundreds of people, including older Americans and children, were stranded in subzero freezing temperatures for hours," he said.
He added: “Several folks ended up in the hospital... It's an image that captured President Trump's whole approach in this crisis... He makes a lot of big pronouncements, but they don't hold up.â€
After two such incidents, the Trump campaign has now cancelled a rally scheduled in Fayetteville, North Carolina, due to a warning for wind, Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh tweeted.
Because of a wind advisory issued with gusts reaching 50 miles per hour and other weather conditions, the outdoor Fayetteville, NC rally has been postponed until Monday.
— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) October 29, 2020
Mr Biden also held a rally at Tampa on the same day, in a rare geographical clash, with just four days remaining until election day on 3 November. Mr Trump and Mr Biden are in a close fight, though the Democrat nominee is shown as leading national opinion polls.
