Trump rally
Trump rallyReuters

The Trump campaign has moved the planned location of a rally in Wisconsin to elsewhere in the state after both the mayor of La Crosse, the original location, and the state’s governor, both Democrats, requested that he not hold a rally there due to a surge in coronavirus cases.

Wisconsin reported a daily record of new virus cases yesterday - 2,887 cases - and 21 deaths, for a total of 125,161 cases and 1,348 deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic. It now ranks third among U.S. states for per-capita daily increases.

Trump's team chose Janesville as its alternative location, and the President will also be holding a rally on Saturday in Green Bay. Both rallies will be held outdoors, at airports.

A similar scenario occurred last month when local officials in Nevada warned that a Republican party rally held in the state would likely breach state rules on gatherings over over 50 people. Wisconsin currently has no such rule on large public gatherings, and state and local health officials in Wisconsin urged rally attendees to follow local guidelines but stopped short of asking Trump to cancel his visit entirely.

All the same, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said he "hoped" Trump would still reconsider his visit to the state, and that if he didn't, he should insist on his supporters wearing masks and not let them in if they refuse.

“He can control this,” Evers said.

Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Andrew Hitt defended Trump's insistence on coming to Wisconsin, saying his supporters get energized by his in-person appearances.

“We’re going to take precautions,” Hitt said. “We’re going to make sure we have masks, we’re going to encourage people to wear masks ... We need to make sure we’re open and tell people, ‘Look if you think you’ve been exposed please do not come.’”

AP contributed to this report.