Trump makes defiant return to campaign stage amid controversies

The Hill logoPresident Trump on Saturday made a defiant return to the campaign stage under a number of dark clouds looming over his presidency, seeking a reset in his reelection campaign even as the event itself was overshadowed by controversy.

Trump’s 90-minute speech was heavy on the same grievances and boasts that have been a hallmark of his campaign style for years. But Saturday’s rally came after a three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, which is still widespread around the country.

“I stand before you today to declare the silent majority is stronger than ever before,” Trump told a boisterous crowd in Tulsa, Okla. Continue reading.

Trump Cancels Tulsa Overflow Speech After No One Shows Up

Trump canceled a planned speech to the overflow crowd for his rally in Tulsa after the crowd was smaller than expected.

Trump announced the cancelation at the last minute:

Will Steakin

@wsteaks

President Trump will no longer deliver a planned address to the overflow crowd outside the BOK Center at his Tulsa rally, a Trump campaign source tells @ABC News.

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Continue reading “Trump Cancels Tulsa Overflow Speech After No One Shows Up”

Trump makes defiant return to campaign stage amid controversies

The Hill logoPresident Trump on Saturday made a defiant return to the campaign stage under a number of dark clouds looming over his presidency, seeking a reset in his reelection campaign even as the event itself was overshadowed by controversy.

Trump’s 90-minute speech was heavy on the same grievances and boasts that have been a hallmark of his campaign style for years. But Saturday’s rally came after a three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, which is still widespread around the country.

“I stand before you today to declare the silent majority is stronger than ever before,” Trump told a boisterous crowd in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Continue reading.

Police Arrest Peaceful Protester Sitting Alone By Trump Rally Venue

The woman was sitting on the ground wearing an “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirt. Trump campaign staff wanted her out.

At the request of President Donald Trump’s campaign staff, police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, arrested a single peaceful protester in a black “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirt who was sitting outside the venue where Trump is expected to hold a rally on Saturday.

Officers could be seen grabbing the protester by her armpits shortly before noon before dragging her off. She was accused of trespassing, though she said that she had a ticket to the rally.

The Tulsa Police Department said that the woman, a Tulsa resident named Sheila Buck, was in a secure area accessible only by ticketholders. Continue reading.

Trump falsely suggests wearing a mask at his Tulsa rally could be harmful

He anticipated a “wild evening” where “people do what they want.”

President Donald Trump told Axios on Friday that he anticipated a “wild evening” at his Saturday campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, while recommending “people do what they want” when it comes to wearing a mask at the event — and even suggested it could be harmful to wear one.

Trump’s comments come as the city has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases in the past few weeks. They also stand at odds with recommendations from public health officials in his own administration who recommend mask-wearing whenever social distancing isn’t possible, and with warnings from experts that indoor concerts and shows are natural superspreading events.

Trump’s rally Saturday — which will take place at an indoor arena that seats 19,000 people — will be the first one he’s held in months after taking a break from them due to the global pandemic. But despite the coronavirus still raging across the US — and surging in the very city he’s going to campaign in — he repeatedly dismissed the threat of the virus and expert-recommended mitigation strategies during his interview with Axios. Continue reading.

Six Trump campaign staffers test positive for coronavirus ahead of Tulsa rally

Axios logoSix of President Trump’s staffers, who were part of the campaign’s advance team for the president’s Saturday rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, have been quarantined after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, the campaign told Axios.

Why it matters: Trump’s Saturday rally is expected to draw tens of thousands of supporters and protesters. The president has specified that face coverings at the event are optional, telling Axios’ Jonathan Swan on Friday: “I recommend people do what they want.”

What they’re saying: “Per safety protocols, campaign staff are tested for COVID-19 before events,” Tim Murtaugh, Trump campaign communications director said in a statement emailed to Axios. “Six members of the advance team tested positive out of hundreds of tests performed, and quarantine procedures were immediately implemented.”

Tulsa arena asks Trump campaign for detailed health plan as Oklahoma Supreme Court hears arguments about rally

Washington Post logoThe managers of the arena in Oklahoma where President Trump plans to hold a controversial campaign rally requested on Thursday that the Trump campaign provide a detailed written plan outlining “health and safety” measures ahead of the event to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to a statement from the venue

The rally is planned for Saturday evening at the BOK Center, a 19,000-seat venue in downtown Tulsa. According to the arena management’s statement, the campaign has already said it will offer masks, hand sanitizer and temperature checks to everyone who attends. The statement added that facility staffers will be tested for the coronavirus and that the venue will be “cleaned and disinfected repeatedly throughout the event, with special emphasis on high-touch areas.”

A number of Tulsa residents and business owners, alarmed by the prospect of a large-scale outbreak of coronavirus if the rally proceeds, have sued the venue manager attempting to block the event unless it is held in accordance with social distancing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A Tulsa County judge on Tuesday denied the request for a temporary injunction, but the decision was appealed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Continue reading.

NO SHOW TikTok users are trolling Trump by reserving tickets for Tulsa rally that they won’t use

TIKTOK users are trolling Donald Trump and his supporters by reserving tickets for his comeback rally – with no plans to actually attend.

The president took to Twitter on Monday to announce that almost one million people had requested tickets for his upcoming campaign rally in Tulsa.

But at the time he was probably unaware that some who have registered for the free event are not intending to show up.

TikTokers say they want the president to be left standing in front of an empty or fairly empty 20,000 seat auditorium in Oklahoma on June 20. Continue reading.

Dr. Fauci, Tulsa Officials Warn Against Trump Rally

Public health experts are warning about the risks of Trump holding a campaign rally in Tulsa as the state experiences record increases in new coronavirus cases. Once again, Trump has put his ego over the advice of health experts.

Dr. Fauci warned of the risk of Trump holding his Tulsa rally and said “of course” he wouldn’t attend because of coronavirus.
Washington Post: “‘Of course not’: Fauci says he personally wouldn’t attend Trump’s Tulsa rally, citing coronavirus”

Tulsa public officials and health experts say “there is nothing good” about Trump’s rally and “it’s like seeing a train wreck coming.”
Tulsa Health Department Executive Director: “I recommended it be postponed until it’s safer.” Continue reading “Dr. Fauci, Tulsa Officials Warn Against Trump Rally”

The Memo: Trump’s risky Tulsa rally

The Hill logoPresident Trump is about to make a high-risk return to the campaign trail.

Trump will hold a massive rally in Tulsa, Okla., on Saturday, at a time when coronavirus infections there are rising steeply.

Any upsurge in cases that could be linked to the event, set to take place at a 19,200-capacity indoor arena, would be a political nightmare for a president facing a tough reelection battle. Continue reading.