Donald Trump visits Florida to win voters despite coronavirus spike
Even in the stifling heat of mid-July in south Florida, and even in the face of a surge in new cases of the coronavirus, President Trump's most loyal supporters will still get together and come out to cheer on his motorcade. They echoed the president’s assessment of how he’s handling the pandemic before he’d even made it in Florida today.
“We’re fighting it and we’re going to do very well," he said.
"He’s the saviour of our country," said the roadside crowd in Miami.
But the facts and the figures show that it's going to be a very long and difficult fight .
There were 92 more deaths from reported in the state today - after hitting a record daily high of 120 yesterday. That takes the total number of deaths there to more than 4200, which is the ninth highest figure among US states - and rising faster than any state ahead of it.
The doctors and scientists at America’s Centre for Disease Control are clear on why the disease is making a resurgence in Florida.
The sunshine state relaxed the lockdown and opened things up too widely and too quickly. Florida’s beaches were filled again weeks ago.
And there’s a magical kingdom, set to be rediscovered. Disney World will reopen this weekend, at the heart of a state where the virus is rampant. All of this fills the doctors in Florida’s hospitals with trepidation, because a rise in the number of cases means more people critically ill in the weeks to come.
One doctor in Palm Beach told me the threat is not just growing, it’s changing too. She’s seeing more patients under fifty presenting with coronavirus symptoms.
'What can I say? They shouldn't be there'
While the cases increase, so does the political pressure on other public servants in Florida. The president say the schools must reopen.
A public school teacher here told me they don’t have anything like the resources they need to do that safely.
'If your house is on fire, are you going to go in and cook dinner?'
Mr Trump is so keen for the schools to reopen because parents going back to work might be another step towards the economic recovery which is crucial to his re-election chances.
But the more the president chases that goal, the more difficult it is to contain the virus. There are some other visitors to Florida this weekend.
After being forced to suspend their season, America’s basketball teams are finishing it with a tournament in Orlando.
In a state with so many infections, this player from Philadelphia wasn’t taking any chances.
There are no easy ways through this pandemic, and certainly no slam dunks.