Democrats rip Trump's Opa-locka airport rally. Republicans: It'll end before curfew

Miami-Dade Democrats slammed President Donald Trump Sunday afternoon ahead of his planned rally at the Miami-Opa-locka Executive airport, an event that could draw thousands of people.

“Today, Donald Trump is bringing a massive super-spreader event to Dade County. He has the gall to do that when he has no plan for COVID,” Miami-Dade Democratic Party Chairman Steve Simeonidis said during a press conference in front of the early voting center at the North Dade Regional Library. “He is the reason why so many people in this country have suffered due to the pandemic.”

While Democrats blasted the president, the Republican National Committee told county officials the late-night event — Trump is scheduled to speak around 11 p.m. — is expected to conclude before the countywide midnight curfew. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, a Republican and congressional candidate carrying Trump’s endorsement, set the curfew as a public-health measure to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The mayor also signaled enforcement won’t be strict.

“As with any other events, the county will continue to enforce the curfew,” Gimenez said in a statement Sunday afternoon. “We will be flexible, as we have been with recent late-ending sporting events, so that people get home safely.”

County officials said Republican organizers will distribute masks and hand sanitizer, and county staff will remind attendees they are required to wear face coverings and maintain social distancing.

Trump’s visit comes as at a delicate time for Gimenez’s administration, which is locked in a court battle with Tootsie’s strip club over the curfew. The club is arguing that in maintaining the curfew, Gimenez violated a decree by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is also a Republican.

Meanwhile, Democrats in Miami Gardens cast the rally as a “downright evil.”

Florida Sen. Oscar Braynon, whose majority Black district includes Opa-locka, noted that COVID-19 has disproportionately affected Black communities

“It’s not just hurting us, it’s killing us. It’s irresponsible. It’s negligent. And it’s downright evil to bring a super spreader event to the middle of that community,” said Braynon. “This is one of the many reasons why I support Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. Because they would never do something as stupid as this.”

Sen. Jason Pizzo, a Miami Democrat, said gathering 10,000 people at a time when Florida’s COVID-19 positivity rate is 4.3% is like having the group “fire 430 bullets up into the air.”

“This is panic mode for the Trump campaign. It’s an absolute disregard for lives and safety. And this is absolutely a demonstration of the difference between the campaigns,” he said. “On average, 400 people may get sick tonight. Some may die, and tax even further our first responders.”

Shortly after Democrats ended their press conference outside the library, Miami-Dade Commissioner Steve Bovo, a Republican running for the non-partisan post of county mayor, walked by and, in an interview, called the noise around the president’s visit a “non-story.”

“They can live in fear all they want. It’s up to them. The president is going to do what he needs to do just like Joe Biden is going to do what he needs to do,” said Bovo. “Most of our residents don’t care about the damn curfew because the pandemic doesn’t take the night off. It’s all to me a sideshow. On Nov. 4 we’ll be talking less about pandemic and we’ll be talking about something else.”

Herald staff writer Douglas Hanks contributed to this report.

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