The rally was initially set for June 19 in Tulsa, Oklahoma — a date and time that sparked fierce outcry amid weeks of nationwide protests over police brutality in black communities.
President Donald Trump late Friday announced he will no longer hold a comeback campaign rally on Juneteenth, saying he’ll push the event back one day out of respect for the date that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
“Many of my African American friends and supporters have reached out to suggest that we consider changing the date out … of respect for this Holiday, and in observance of this important occasion and all that it represents,” Trump posted on Twitter. “I have therefore decided to move our rally to Saturday, June 20th, in order to honor their requests.”
The rally would be Trump’s first since taking a three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was initially set for June 19 in Tulsa, Oklahoma — a date and time that sparked fierce outcry amid weeks of nationwide protests over police brutality against African Americans.
Tulsa was the site of one of the most brutal race massacres in United States’ history, where in 1921 white mobs burned a prosperous black community in the city.
When asked by Fox News’ Harris Faulkner in an interview aired this week if the rally was intentionally scheduled for Juneteenth, Trump retorted “uh, no.”
“Think about it as a celebration,” Trump said. “Don’t think about it as an inconvenience.”
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- Discussion
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Trump says he will no longer have a campaign rally on Juneteenthhttps://t.co/hk27tnsehb
— POLITICO (@politico) June 13, 2020
By all means, Donnie…go to Tulsa. https://t.co/hM0tGgAaKA
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 13, 2020
The Trump campaign decision to bump its Tulsa rally from June 19 to June 20 is so fascinatingly revealing … 1/x
— David Frum (@davidfrum) June 13, 2020
2) Why would a presidency that never admits error, never accepts responsibility, never apologizes for anything – why would it back down in the face of complaints about a June 19 event?
— David Frum (@davidfrum) June 13, 2020
4) But local authorities in Tulsa have pretty obviously began to sense – and fear – the possibility of large-scale disorder in their city. The mayor tweeted this June 11:https://t.co/TBuyW1YWfd
— David Frum (@davidfrum) June 13, 2020
6) The Trump campaign is telling us:
It recognizes that disruptions hurt incumbents.
It recognizes that the crackdown in Washington DC on June 1 backfired.
It does not want a replay.
— David Frum (@davidfrum) June 13, 2020
8) This time, 2020, Trump's own people must be telling him that his divide-and-win tactics have bumped into hostile electoral math.
"American carnage" is a political attack for a challenger, not a political defense for an incumbent.
— David Frum (@davidfrum) June 13, 2020
10) These clashes would not occur in downtown Chicago – where Trump cancelled a rally in 2016 https://t.co/vLwD2UdEyA – but in Tulsa, supposedly at the heart of Trump country.
— David Frum (@davidfrum) June 13, 2020
12) The rescheduling of the Tulsa rally is a reveal of weakness by a president who normally values the show of strength above all else.
The rescheduling confirms how fast Trump's strength is ebbing – and that he (or his campaign) knows it.
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— David Frum (@davidfrum) June 13, 2020
“If you COVID, he will come.” https://t.co/bt3tAko1Xt
— Robert Schlesinger 🖖 (@rschles) June 13, 2020
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