The first to arrive at Mike Pence’s rally in The Villages, Florida, took their places on the socially distanced chairs. When the seats filled up, the rally-goers – who had turned out in huge numbers to see the Vice President – crammed in together. The supporters kept coming and coming on Saturday afternoon, and before long it was standing room only. One older woman joked to her similarly aged friend: “there goes social distancing.” The few who were wearing masks were pulling them down to speak to each other and take licks of their ice cream. The mask-optional campaign event in America’s largest retirement village – home to some 120,000 over 55s – risked becoming a “superspreader” event among the country’s most vulnerable. The Trump campaign had anticipated the possibility, forcing attendees to sign a waiver of liability should they later contract the virus.
