Trump Furious and Embarrassed at Disastrous Comeback Rally

By the time Trump was in his helicopter headed to Joint Base Andrews early Saturday, things were already looking bad for his "triumphant" return to the campaign trail.

The Orangeman had already been disappointed with the pictures on cable news, which revealed that there were no lines forming outside the Bank of Oklahoma Center in Tulsa.  To make matters worse, the headlines were being dominated by news of AG Barr's duplicity regarding federal prosecutor for the southern district of New York.  Barr had been unsuccessful in his attempt to fire Geoffrey Berman, the night before, in the process being caught in several lies about the incident.

Hours after his departure from the White House the President was then informed six campaign staffers in Tulsa had tested positive for coronavirus ahead of his scheduled arrival -- an unfortunate reminder of an ongoing pandemic that Trump is trying to ignore. After initially dismissing the revelation, a source familiar with his reaction said Trump erupted in anger when it was subsequently reported in the media -- overtaking coverage of the rally itself.

Still, a determined Trump was intent on breathing new life into his struggling campaign event. He took off for Tulsa, convinced large swaths of his supporters would be waiting for him there.  Things did not improve once Air Force One lifted off, unfortunately.

The President received a report that only about 25 people were assembled in the overflow space the campaign had reserved for the huge crowd of people that was expected would not be able to get admittance.  In a desperate move two hours before the rally, the Trump campaign  people sent an urgent text message to those that had signed up for the event: "The Great American Comeback Celebration's almost here!" it read. "There's still space!"  They could scarcely imagine how right that message would prove to be.

When the President landed in Tulsa at 5:51 p.m. local time, the crowds his aides had promised him had failed to materialize. Air Force One flew over the arena, where Trump had been told thousands of supporters would be waiting to hear from him on a stage outside the arena, but saw nothing resembling the sea of people he'd been expecting.

While Trump was still in the air, the campaign quickly canceled the outside appearance given the apparent lack of enthusiasm.   The inside arena was only partially filled by the time Trump and Pence arrived.  The Trump campaign asserted that the smaller-than-expected crowds were partially a result of interference by protesters, though no reporters on the ground in Tulsa saw any incident with protesters trying to block supporters from attending.

Trump told staff he wanted all of his surrogates on hand when he landed in Tulsa, so aides invited dozens of them and chartered a private plane to transport them all. Photos from the flight show none wearing masks.

The Tulsa rally was expected to feature a new assault on former Vice President Joe Biden-- but even that fizzled, replaced by recycled grievances and race-baiting. The sparse crowd was a reminder that many Americans, even Trump's supporters, remain cautious of a pandemic that continues to rage in places like Oklahoma, where cases are spiking, even if Trump is ready to move on.   After Trump finished speaking, a source told CNN that two Secret Service agents had also tested positive for coronavirus.

 Witnesses at the rally initially said that the arena appeared to be 30-40% empty of its 19,000-seat capacity.  The next day, the Tulsa Fire Department released a statement saying that fewer than 6,200 people were in attendance.

 Since Trump returned to Washington, DC aides were anxiously awaiting his response to the less-than-stellar turnout, as it is known that Trump has threatened to fire officials in the past when his rallies ended in disappointment.