Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) on Thursday said President Trump is practically throwing a “welcome home party” for white supremacists by restarting his iconic MAGA rallies in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Juneteenth.
“This isn’t just a wink to white supremacists—he’s throwing them a welcome home party,” Harris said:
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
The Trump campaign signaled this week the president could restart his rallies, which have been paused since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, within weeks. On Wednesday, Trump announced he would resume his fan-filled rallies in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 19, otherwise known as Juneteenth, a day many celebrate as the end of slavery.
“We’re going to start our rallies back up now. We’ve had a tremendous run at rallies,” Trump said on Wednesday during a roundtable discussion with black leaders. “They’ve done a great job with COVID, as you know, in the state of Oklahoma.”
However, many critics are perturbed by the location due to its weighty racial history, serving as the location of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, which is “believed to be the single worst incident of racial violence in American history.”
Harris was not the only Trump critic to air grievances:
TRUMP: Hey black people, what have you got to lose?
TRUMP (3 yrs later) Hey black people, I'm going to host a white supremacist pro-police brutality rally in Tulsa on Juneteenth during a global pandemic I made worse through ignorance and which is disproportionately killing you
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) June 10, 2020
A Trump rally with rebel flags (a symbol of slavery and racism) in Tulsa, OK (the place of #TulsaMassacre) on Juneteenth (a day of emancipation recognition) is more than a slap in the face to African Americans; it is overt racism from the highest office in the land. #RejectRacism
— Congressman Al Green (@RepAlGreen) June 11, 2020
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
So Trump is returning to the campaign trail on Juneteenth with a MAGA rally at the site of the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the most horrific acts of racial violence against black people in American history… https://t.co/xFbXKZBlxj
— Maya Harris (@mayaharris_) June 10, 2020
This is not an accident. Trump is holding his first rally of the campaign on Juneteenth (when enslaved blacks were emancipated) in Tulsa almost a 100 years after the massacre of its black citizens. Forget dog whistle, this is an air raid siren https://t.co/fWz2RMU2oh
— Atima Omara (@atima_omara) June 11, 2020
The rally in Tulsa, a city with a checkered racial history, is scheduled for June 19, or Juneteenth — the day that marks the end of slavery in the US. Hundreds of African Americans were killed during racial unrest in the city in 1921. https://t.co/Rj1DpufgJa
— CNN (@CNN) June 11, 2020
The Trump campaign, however, is not backing away.
“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,” Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said. “Facts matter”:
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
The rally comes amid racial tensions spurred by the death of George Floyd, as anarchists and rioters seized on the opportunity and inflicted chaos — dominated by looting, vandalism, and assault — across several U.S. cities.
President Trump has held rallies in several cities since taking office, appearing in Minneapolis, Dallas, Miami, Phoenix, and most recently, Charlotte. He plans to hold future rallies in cities across North Carolina, Texas, Florida, and Arizona.
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