Trump to Speak to Jewish Republicans in Vegas But Won’t Rally

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump plans to speak to the Republican Jewish Coalition’s conference in Las Vegas on Saturday despite the coronavirus outbreak, but his campaign decided against holding a rally in Reno, Nevada, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Trump is the keynote speaker at the RJC conference, which will take place at the Venetian and Palazzo hotels, properties owned by Republican mega-donor and Trump confidant Sheldon Adelson. The conference hasn’t been canceled and Trump plans to attend, the people said.

They asked not to be identified discussing the president’s travel schedule.

Many conference organizers have recently called off their events out of concern people carrying the coronavirus will attend and spread the disease. Infected people attended two major political conferences in recent weeks, the Conservative Political Action Conference and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s policy conference, leading to concern they may have spread the virus to other attendees.

As part of the same trip, Trump will attend a Friday roundtable on conservation in Denver, the people said.

Trump’s campaign had considered holding a rally in Reno but decided against it, the people said. Trump hasn’t held one of his signature rallies, which draw thousands of his supporters, since March 2 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

His campaign hasn’t announced any future rallies, though he will hold a large event in Milwaukee next week to launch a “Catholics for Trump” coalition.

Asked by reporters on Tuesday if the campaign would suspend rallies, Vice President Mike Pence said: “I think that’ll be a decision that’s made, literally, on a day-to-day basis.”

Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden both canceled rallies in Cleveland on Tuesday out of coronavirus fears.

Four members of Congress isolated themselves after learning they had been in contact with the infected person at CPAC. Trump and Pence both spoke at CPAC but White House officials have said they didn’t have contact with the coronavirus patient, a New Jersey man who hasn’t been publicly identified.

Trump said Tuesday that he hasn’t been tested for coronavirus infection. White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said he’s being closely monitored by his physicians.

The White House has taken additional precautions to prevent infected people from encountering the president and his staff, including asking visitors whether they’ve traveled overseas in the last two weeks. Trump and Pence have both continued to shake hands with people at public events, but Grisham has said the president frequently uses hand sanitizer and washes his hands.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jennifer Jacobs in Washington at jjacobs68@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Justin Blum

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.