Trump 2020 To Resume Public Campaign Work ‘Where States Allow’

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump's re-election operation plans to begin in-person training and voter contact in some parts of the U.S. next week for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak.

Trump Victory, the joint field effort between the Trump 2020 campaign and the Republican National Committee, announced that volunteers would resume in-person training, door-to-door canvassing and voter registration “where states allowed.” The announcement was first reported by ABC News.

RNC spokeswoman Mandi Merritt said volunteers and staff would follow local guidelines, adhering to requirements such as social distancing, wearing masks or limiting head counts. Trump's signature rallies would not yet resume.

The move comes as Trump has signaled eagerness to return to the campaign trail, after the coronavirus halted in-person campaigning almost three months ago. Experts caution that the virus isn't yet under control.

It also comes as Trump summoned top political advisers including his re-election campaign manager, Brad Parscale, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, for a White House meeting as the president's poll numbers have eroded in key battleground states, according to people familiar with the matter.

The president has been under fire for his handling of the pandemic and from nationwide unrest over police treatment of African Americans, following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Trump's rallies have been a crucial way for him to connect to his base, but those ended following the outbreak, which has left more than 100,000 dead.

Likely Democratic nominee Joe Biden has just begun to resume in-person campaigning, speaking to small groups wearing a mask.

Last week, Trump Victory also announced that the president will be resuming in-person fundraisers. The sites will be professionally cleaned and sanitized before each event, the group said.

Trump Victory has over 1.2 million volunteers trained and activated around the country. But for the past three months, the field team transitioned into an entirely virtual campaign as stay-at-home orders were issued in states across the country.

“Just as Trump Victory was able to transition to virtual campaigning in less than 24 hours, our teams across the country will seamlessly adapt again just as efficiently,” Merritt said.