Vice President Mike Pence peeled off his White House-branded mask and smiled at a crowd of thousands Sunday morning. Yet he wasn’t technically headlining a political rally — he was at church in a state that has seen a dramatic spike in coronavirus cases.
Pence was in Texas to discuss the deepening crisis with Gov. Greg Abbott, but first, he stopped off at First Baptist Church Dallas, a massive complex led by Pastor Robert Jeffress, a dedicated Trump supporter, to headline the Celebrate Freedom rally. At the event — a patriotic jamboree that was part worship, part pre-Fourth of July celebration — Pence preached a message of hope to the congregants, framing the fight against COVID-19 as grounded in liberation.
“We all know the tragic events of recent days, and let me say there’s no excuse for what happened to George Floyd,” said Pence. “There’s also no excuse for rioting, looting and violence that ensued. Burning churches is not protest. Tearing down statues is not free speech.” Story continuesSinging during religious services may enhance that risk, by spreading respiratory droplets even further.Over 2,000 attendees, the majority — but not all, in masks — sat shoulder-to-shoulder in the long lines of pews that packed the church. A full orchestra blared American classics such as “Yankee Doodle,” and the choir members, who numbered more than a hundred, belted out the national anthem and other patriotic songs.
Abbott echoed those concerns in a joint Sunday press conference with Pence and members of the White House coronavirus task force. “COVID-19 has taken a very swift and very dangerous turn in Texas over just the past two weeks,” Abbott said. Kate Bedingfield, Joe Biden’s deputy campaign manager, claimed that Pence’s Dallas trip “epitomizes the dismissive attitude this administration has taken in addressing this crisis from the onset.”
Last week, Dallas County saw the single greatest increase of COVID-19 cases since the outbreak began. One of the main coronavirus transmission mitigation efforts has been the mandating of face coverings.
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