LEVANT, Maine — President Donald Trump made a last-minute visit to Maine’s 2nd Congressional District Sunday after a "Make America Great Again" rally in Manchester, New Hampshire.
According to a campaign official, 3,000 people showed up to Treworgy Family Orchards in Levant Sunday afternoon for an unpublicized gathering.
“We were asked if we were open to having a visitor from the White House come with a small group of people to do a photoshoot and we said yes, given that information,” Jonathan Kenerson, CEO of Treworgy Family Orchards, told NEWS CENTER Maine on Tuesday.
Kenerson admits the visit by the president turned out to be more than he agreed to.
“Obviously we’re concerned in the midst of a pandemic a gathering of this size was not in line with our own policies or the state of Maine’s,” he said. “We were told it would be a small event and I’m sad to see it wasn’t.”
"We expected the President to show up unannounced, surprise the few people who happened to be here, and leave with some nice photos of him holding a pumpkin," a statement about the visit on Treworgy's website says.
While Trump’s security detail wore masks throughout the event, Trump himself and many others in the non-socially distanced crowd did not.
Kenerson added that once the Secret Service took over the event he could no longer enforce his COVID-19 safety guidelines. In their online statement, the business explains they've had a mask and social distance policy in place since they opened for the season. They said they "enforce to the best of our ability in the interest of the health and safety of our customers, our employees, and our family."
"We were not aware that this visit would be open to the public without our ability to enforce our policies," Treworgy says.
Kenerson says all of the orchards staff followed protocols and wore masks.
Earlier in the day, Governor Janet Mills had expressed concerns about the lack of coronavirus enforcement at the event.
"I don't know what's going on. Who's organizing that gathering, how big it is, or what the parameters are. I will say if anybody does attend a gathering of whatever sort, whoever sponsoring it. Politics aside, because you know, this pandemic doesn't care about politics. There's no Democratic virus, a Republican virus, or a Green or Independent virus," Mills said. "The virus doesn't care what your politics are it will hit anybody and everybody at any time, and the president of all people should know that. So I would advise anybody attending a gathering in excess of the limits that we've we've established that they get themselves tested. That they make sure, then they're not going to come with the virus or spread it to others knowingly or unknowingly spread it to others. That's the most important thing."
Mills’ executive order on gatherings currently limits outdoor gatherings to 100 people and an Executive Order signed in April requires face coverings in public places where physical distancing is difficult to maintain.
Last week, Mills expressed similar concerns after Vice President Mike Pence held a rally in Hermon, where coronavirus guidelines also weren't followed.
Despite these shared concerns, Kenerson said “It was a great honor to host the President."
"We are not political and we’re not taking a political stance. We believe in community here and bringing people together.”
Watch the full interview with Kenerson here: