Trump Warns Protesters—And ‘Looters Or Lowlifes’— Ahead Of Tulsa Rally

Referencing the protests that broke out in cities across the country in the wake of Floyd’s death, Trump said any protesters “will not be treated like you have been in New York, Seattle or Minneapolis,” and promised “a much different scene.”

Trump has claimed to be an “ally of all peaceful protesters,” the president has at times conflated non-violent protesters — which make up a majority of demonstrations — with looters and arsonists, at one point warning that “when the looting starts the shooting starts.”

During his raucous rallies in 2016, Trump occasionally encouraged violence among protesters and supporters: “If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you?” Trump said during a rally on February 1, 2016, adding that he would “pay the legal fees.”

At a Las Vegas rally later that month, he also said security guards were too gentle with a protester: “He’s walking out with big high-fives, smiling, laughing,” Trump said. “I’d like to punch him in the face, I’ll tell you.”

Citing the large expected crowd, the planned protests and the civil unrest that has already engulfed in the city this month, Tulsa’s mayor, G. T. Bynum, has imposed a curfew ahead of the rally for the areas surrounding the stadium.

It’s unclear whether the Trump supporters who have camped out in front of the stadium will be cleared out, though some videos on social media appeared to show people leaving the area on Friday.