Trump’s 'comfort-blanket' rally may disappoint

The Trump campaign event in Tulsa had all the colour and character of one of his typical rallies.
There were women in red, white and blue cowboy hats, cut-off jeans and fringed boots. The guy in the red-brick "build the wall" suit turned up, as did perennial warm-up act Diamond and Silk. Mike Lindell, better known as "My Pillow" impresario, worked the crowd, hugging and posing for selfies.
The "Make America Great Again" hats, the Hillary Clinton "lock her up" chants, the ear-piercing soundtrack heavy on Rolling Stones, Elton John and Frank Sinatra - squint, and it felt like the kind of raucous celebration that powered Trump to the White House in 2016 and buoyed him through the ups and downs of his presidency.
The only thing missing, really, was the capacity crowd - the kind the president was bragging he always gets just two days ago - as vast swathes of blue upper-deck seats remained empty even as Trump entered the stage.
Blame the coronavirus for discouraging people from attending, as cases spike in Tulsa and elsewhere. Blame protesters - as the Trump campaign did - for supposedly blocking access to the rally site. Blame mischievous liberals for claiming they flooded the Trump team with fake ticket requests, encouraging the campaign to prepare for massive overflow crowds.
Whatever the reason, those massive crowds simply didn't materialise.