Tulsa Newspaper Says Trump Rally Unwelcome Due To Covid-19 Risks

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June 15, 2020

TOPLINE

President Trump is scheduled on Saturday to make his first campaign rally appearance amid reopening in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a decision supported by some GOP allies but—in addition to pushback from public health experts—local paper Tulsa World published an editorial Monday saying their city is the “wrong time” and “wrong place” for the event.

President Trump delivers a commencement address to over 1,110 West Point cadets in the Class of 2020 … [+] on Saturday.

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

KEY FACTS

Citing the controversy Trump caused by initially scheduling the rally for Friday (coinciding with Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the end of U.S. slavery) and ongoing health risks due to coronavirus, plus anticipated protests by residents and a stretched city budget, Tulsa World’s editorial board wrote.

“There’s no reason to think a Trump appearance in Tulsa will have any effect on November’s election outcome” locally, wrote the World, but it has focused attention on “the fact that Trump will be rallying in a city that 99 years ago was the site of a bloody race massacre.”

The newspaper’s pushback on the rally for medical reasons echoes similar statements made by public health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, Trump’s top health official and a leading member of the White House coronavirus task force.

“I wish we could postpone” the rally to a safer point in time, said Dr. Bruce Dart, director of Tulsa’s health department, to the World on Sunday.

Rally attendees have to “take responsibility for their own health,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., during a Sunday appearance on ABC’s This Week, adding that he thinks the rally will be safe and plans to attend.

White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow said during a Sunday CNN appearance that social distancing must be observed and face coverings worn during the rally (but Trump infamously refuses to wear a mask himself).

Key background

Tulsa was the site of a 1921 race massacre in which mobs of white residents attacked black residents and businesses in a section of the city referred to as “Black Wall Street.” Taking place over two days, 35 square blocks were ultimately destroyed. 39 people were confirmed dead, but a 2001 commission said casualties could have been as high as 300. The Trump campaign’s initial choice to hold a rally on Juneteenth, and in the city that was the site of “the single worst incident of racial violence in American history,” was met with intense blowback as protests against racism and police brutality continue across the country. Over the weekend, Trump’s campaign moved the rally to the 20th “out of respect,” but the potential impact on public health remains. Tulsa’s BOK Center, the rally’s venue, has postponed all other events through the end of July due to coronavirus concerns.

Crucial quote

“When the president of the United States visits your city, it should be exciting,” wrote The World’s editorial board. “We think a Trump visit will be, but for a lot of the wrong reasons, and we can’t welcome it.”

Big number

800,000. That’s how many people Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said have registered so far for the Saturday rally. The venue, however, seats only 19,200.

Further reading

This is the wrong time and Tulsa is the wrong place for the Trump rally (Tulsa World)

‘Risky’ And ‘Extraordinarily Dangerous’: Public Health Experts Doubt Safety Of Trump’s Tulsa Rally (Forbes)

Trump Campaign Manager Says 800,000 Registered For Tickets To Tulsa Rally–But The Venue Only Seats 19,200 (Forbes)

Trump Moves Tulsa Rally Date ‘Out of Respect’ for Juneteenth (New York Times)

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