FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

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Reckless Statewide Iowa Trump Campaign Bus Tour Comes As COVID-19 Cases Spike

12-stop Trump bus tour rolls on as Iowa remains COVID-19 hotspot, Trump to blame

DES MOINES — During the same week Iowa surpassed 70,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, the Trump campaign kicked off a 12-stop bus tour through some of the state’s hardest hit counties. The three-day long celebration of Trump’s failure on all fronts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic is particularly out-of-touch as Iowa remains a worldwide hotspot for coronavirus cases with one of the highest rates of infection in the nation.

The river-to-river tour of a dozen counties does not publicize any social distancing measures. Iowa is one of the only states without a mask mandate — making a multi-city event during a global pandemic even more dangerous.

As the Trump bus puts Iowans across the state at risk, take a look at the facts on President Trump’s failed leadership on COVID-19 and the historic recession:

  • Under Trump’s leadership, Iowa has surpassed 70,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,167 deaths, making it a worldwide hotspot.

  • Hospitalizations due to coronavirus are at a three-month high right now in Iowa — proving the pandemic is far from over.

  • More than 76,000 Iowans are still out-of-work over six months since the COVID-19 crisis began.

  • Last month’s jobs report showed that across the country, companies are making permanent job cuts instead of temporary furloughs as the pandemic rages on.

“Not only is a Trump campaign bus tour incredibly dangerous as coronavirus cases in Iowa continue to spike and we remain a nationwide hotspot for virus spread, but it’s a slap in the face to the 70,000 Iowans who’ve gotten sick from COVID-19,” said IDP Chair Mark Smith. “A bus tour can’t cover up the dire burdens that Trump’s failures have placed on working Iowans. This gratuitous celebration puts Iowans at risk and is nothing short of tone-deaf as 76,000 Iowans are still out-of-work from Trump’s failure to contain the virus that led to the worst economic downtown since the Great Depression.”