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Succumbing to pressure, U.S. President Donald Trump Friday delayed his campaign rally that was scheduled for June 19, or Juneteenth, by a day. The upcoming rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will be Trump's first since lockdowns were imposed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Juneteenth holiday, which marks the end of slavery in the U.S., has been celebrated by African Americans for more than 150 years. But recent events, particularly nationwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, have rekindled people's interest in this memorial day. Holding a public event on this date to rally support for the December election has thus become a point of controversy.
Worse even, the site that is meant to host Trump's first return to his campaign trail witnessed a terrifying event indelibly engraved on the memory of black Americans. In 1921, Tulsa saw a tumultuous riot in which hundreds of African Americans were massacred by white mobs.
Before Trump decided to reschedule the rally, both the original timing and the choice of location provoked outrage amid the national reckoning over race and justice in the United States. Critics called it an insult to the memory of Floyd, who is now regarded as "the cornerstone of a movement."
"This isn't just a wink to white supremacists – he's throwing them a welcome home party," Senator Kamala Harris tweeted.
Trump then announced the deferral of the rally on Twitter.
"We had previously scheduled our #MAGA Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for June 19th — a big deal," he wrote. "Unfortunately, however, this would fall on the Juneteenth Holiday. Many of my African American friends and supporters have reached out to suggest that we consider changing the date out of respect for this Holiday, and in observance of this important occasion and all that it represents. I have therefore decided to move our rally to Saturday, June 20th, in order to honor their requests."
While the country still shows an upward trend in coronavirus case counts, Trump on Wednesday announced he would resume his campaign rallies in Oklahoma, Florida, Arizona and North Carolina. All four states have lifted some restrictions, but North Carolina is marked by the Washington Post as having more restrictions than the other three. Gyms, bars, nightclubs, movie theaters, concert and sporting venues are still closed in North Carolina.
Observers say Trump chose to resume his campaign trails at this juncture because his advisors think the ongoing anti-racism protests have offset the political pressure on holding rallies during the pandemic.
(Cover image: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. March 2, 2020. /Reuters)
(CGTN)