Trump's campaign reportedly knew the significance of the Juneteenth Tulsa rally date, expected less blowback
President Trump's re-election campaign was expecting some raised eyebrows after scheduling Trump's first campaign rally in months on June 19 — Juneteenth — in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a state Trump is expected to win easily, two campaign officials tell The Associated Press.
"But the campaign was caught off guard by the intensity" of the blowback, AP reports, especially when people made a connection between the date and the host city, site of one of the worst white massacres of black Americans in U.S. history, at a period where Trump is defending Confederate symbols and attacking protests demanding an end to police murdering and terrorizing black people.
In 1921, an organized white mob in Tulsa ravaged the city's affluent and flourishing black community. When the massacre was over, up to 300 black people were dead and the Greenwood area — called Black Wall Street — had been looted and burned to the ground. Juneteenth is a celebration of the end of slavery, marking the day two years after the Emancipation Proclamation when Union soldiers told black slaves in Galveston, Texas, they were no longer someone else's property.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Local and national black leaders have slammed Trump's rally and urged him to change the date, and "some Republicans and Trump allies were also upset after realizing the president's team had scheduled his first campaign rally since coronavirus outbreak for Juneteenth in Tulsa," The Washington Post reports. Campaign officials told AP they picked Tulsa because it was expedient and "they could all but guarantee a big crowd despite coronavirus concerns."
Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson said that "as the party of Lincoln, Republicans are proud of the history of Juneteenth." Coincidentally, the Post notes, Trump will also be accepting the GOP nomination in Jacksonville, Florida, on the 60th anniversary of Ax Handle Saturday, when "a mob of about 200 white people armed with ax handles and baseball bats attacked a group of demonstrators after they left a sit-in at a local whites-only lunch counter."
"Trump has long sought to exploit class resentment and racial tensions for political gain," and now he's "gambling that taking divisive stances on Confederate symbols and policing will energize his mostly white supporters in November," the Post reports. But "much of the country appears to be moving in a different direction." Said one GOP strategist close with Trump's White House: "If he was trying to lose, he'd be doing basically what he is doing right now."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Bird flu worries mount as virus found in milk, cows
Speed Read The FDA found traces of the virus in pasteurized grocery store milk
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Palazzo Durazzo Suites in Genoa: a palatial gem in northern Italy
The Week Recommends Live your Italian dream in this astonishing and recently restored palace in the heart of the city
By Nick Hendry Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 25, 2024
Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - TikTok in the firing line, protests on campus, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Ukraine cheers House approval of military aid
Speed Read Following a lengthy struggle, the House has approved $95 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Peter Murrell: Sturgeon's husband charged over SNP 'embezzlement' claims
Speed Read SNP expresses 'shock' as former chief executive rearrested in long-running investigation into claims of mishandled campaign funds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claims
Speed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid
Speed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published