President Trump announced a return to the campaign trail on Wednesday with his first rally planned for June 19 in Tulsa, Oklahoma:
President Trump says his first rally since March 2nd will be in Tulsa, Oklahoma next Friday.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) June 10, 2020
The date of the rally — Juneteenth Day — and the location — the site of the 1921 massacre aimed at Black people — are important:
The Trump rally will occur on Juneteenth Day, when many Americans commemorate the end of slavery, in a city that was home to an infamous 1921 massacre of Black people, one of the worst racial atrocities in the nation’s history. https://t.co/3NgPHpuEc2
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) June 10, 2020
Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, tweeted this morning that they’re more than aware of the significance of the date and place:
As the Party of Lincoln, Republicans are proud of what Juneteenth represents and the Emancipation Proclamation.@realDonaldTrump has a solid record of success for Black Americans.
It’s @JoeBiden who has the horrible record of racial division and condescension.
Facts matter.
— Brad Parscale (@parscale) June 11, 2020
As you can imagine, this isn’t going over real well:
So. Let's set the stage…
President Trump has chosen as the venue for his first rally in months, Tulsa, Oklahoma, site of a horrific massacre of African Americans. And he has set the date for June 19th, Juneteenth, a celebration of the end of slavery in the United States.— Dan Rather (@DanRather) June 10, 2020
Or they knew exactly what they were doing?
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Two safe assumptions here:
1. Trump likely has no clue what the significance of Juneteenth and Tulsa are.
2. But Stephen Miller does. https://t.co/mxu7uwPECV— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) June 11, 2020
Sen. Kamala Harris, a potential running mate for Joe Biden, even accused the president of using the rally to throw a “welcome home party” for white supremacists:
This isn't just a wink to white supremacists—he's throwing them a welcome home party. https://t.co/lUXpnUoFQU
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 11, 2020
It’s pretty clear that members of the party of slavery aren’t happy that President Trump is going to remind the nation of that:
Donald Trump is choosing to have his first campaign rally on June 19th in Tulsa
That’s Juneteenth
In a city that experienced the worst racial violence in American history in 1921
This is like Reagan launching his campaign in Philadelphia, MS
Dog whistle for white supremacists
— Zac Petkanas (@Zac_Petkanas) June 10, 2020
Stay tuned for next week.
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