Trump spoke in Phoenix yesterday to some 3,000 Students for Trump in a megachurch. Most of the students, packed in close quarters, were maskless, like Trump.

The Arizona Republic noted that most recent polls have shown Biden leading Trump.

Trump arrived as hospitalizations and deaths from the coronavirus were spiking.

Some local physicians were unhappy about the rally:

Two Arizona doctors told The Republic they were concerned about the large, indoor event and what it could mean for the disease here.

“We’re already seeing a tremendous surge in infections here in Arizona. This is not the time to be taking chances on spreading the disease further,” Dr. Christine Severance, a family physician in Phoenix, said.

Dr. Sheetal Chhaya, a rheumatologist in Phoenix, said she appreciates rallies as part of the democratic process, but said an event at this time in Phoenix is not the most “socially responsible.”

“We are, with one event, virtually knocking out, almost nullifying, some of the efforts that we’ve made as a group of physicians, but also as a community, to be able to help mitigate this virus,” Chhaya said.

Anyone expecting Trump to express sadness about the 120,000 Americans who have died of the virus were disappointed. Trump is not one to express regret or empathy, nor did he refer to the CDC guidelines.

This is what he said about the pandemic:

The president didn’t dwell on the coronavirus or offer condolences or messages about precautionary steps the public can take. Instead, he often referred to it as the “plague” and insisted it would be gone soon.

Trump took shots at the media for what he views as overblowing the pandemic and detailed how he believed his administration had taken all the right steps to mitigate the spread of the disease, test people at high numbers and make sure equipment like ventilators were available.

Trump blamed the increase in cases on more testing, though health officials in Arizona have said the growing number of hospitalizations and cases are due to more than just an increase in testing.

“When you have all those tests, you have more cases,” the president said.

He added: “Then they’ll say, ‘We have more cases.’ We want to do testing. We want to do everything. But they use it to make us look bad.”

Trump also called the coronavirus the “Kung Flu,” embracing for at least a second time a racist phrase that has proven an applause line at his speeches, but which has prompted condemnation from Asian American members of Congress.

Trump continues to spread the dangerous message that wearing a mask is a culture war issue. Real men and strong women don’t wear masks, he suggests by his own reckless behavior. No wonder that the EU is considering banning travelers from the U.S.