MIAMI _ President Donald Trump said in the White House Thursday that he had plans for a rally in Tampa later this month, but he'll probably cancel the event due to concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus.
"We had four or five (political rallies) that we were thinking about. We had a big one in Tampa all sold out. We had over 100,000 requests for tickets, but I think we'll probably not do it because people will say it's better to not do," Trump told reporters during a sit-down with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. "We'll need a little separation until such time that this goes away."
Trump said the rally, which had not been publicly announced, was scheduled for March 25. He left open the possibility that the event will be held as planned.
"We'll be making a decision at the appropriate time. I mean, the next one scheduled is for the 25th, and that's in Tampa. But we'll have to see whether or not we do it," he said. "I'm not going to do it if I think it's going to be negative at all. If people are _ if we haven't made that turn yet."
Trump's campaign did not respond to a question about whether the Tampa rally is on or off. The New York Times reported Thursday that the Tampa rally had not been announced as the president's aides encouraged him to cancel it.
Jim Waurishuk, chairman of the Republican Party of Hillsborough County, said the event was likely going to be held at the Florida State Fairgrounds. For now, though, he said the local party is in a holding pattern.
"We were working on the rally. Still haven't gotten the definitive on what we're going to do," he said. "If there's an opportunity to go see him people are going to go."
The spread of the coronavirus is quickly altering the 2020 campaign.
On Wednesday, Trump's campaign announced the cancellation of a March 19 Catholics for Trump event that the president planned to attend in Milwaukee due to fears about the spread of the coronavirus. Trump also canceled visits to Nevada and Colorado as fears about a growing outbreak in the United States also led the NBA to suspend its basketball season.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis urged the public Thursday not to hold "mass gatherings," which are defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as groups of more than 1,000 people.
Former Vice President Joe Biden canceled a smaller event Thursday: a fundraiser on Monday at the Miami Beach home of attorney Alex Heckler.
Donors were told by the campaign that a conference call will be scheduled in which they'll be able to speak with Biden, and that their donation will be credited toward a future event. In a text message, Heckler, a DNC deputy national finance chairman, said that he and his wife, Tiffany Heckler, were disappointed, but "the health and safety of Vice President Biden and all attendees are of paramount importance."
Biden had already canceled events planned Thursday in Tampa and Monday in Miami. Late Thursday, his campaign distributed a memo to staff explaining that, for at least two weeks, fundraisers will be held virtually, staff members will work from home, and all campaign offices, including Biden's headquarters, will be closed.
"We'll continue to assess and adjust how we conduct our campaign going forward and find new ways to share our message with the public," Biden said Thursday in a speech delivered from his home state of Delaware.
