President Donald Trump is announcing changes for his Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally amid heightened concern about the date and timing of the event.
The president took to Twitter on late-Friday where he announced that the upcoming rally, scheduled for June 19, was being rescheduled.
Trump claims to have been urged by black friends and supporters to change the date “out of respect” for Juneteeth and what it signifies.
He tweeted, “We had previously scheduled our #MAGA Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for June 19th – a big deal. Unfortunately, however, this would fall on the Juneteenth Holiday. “
He continued, “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.”
He went on to confirm the new date of the rally saying, “I have therefore decided to move our rally to Saturday, June 20th, in order to honor their requests.”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1271644265014276097
…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…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2020
Trump’s announcement comes after days of heightened criticism over the upcoming rally. In fact, the president was questioned about the June 19 date during an exclusive Fox News interview with host Harris Faulkner.
At the time, Faulkner asked Trump about the rally date. While he claimed the date was not set on purpose, he also did not acknowledge why the date is significant as he insisted his rally would be a “celebration,” as previously reported on IJR.
Not only is June 19 the anniversary commemorating the end of slavery in 1865, but Tulsa also happens to be the home of the 1921 massacre that claimed the lives of hundreds of black people.
Despite the date of the rally being changed, Trump’s campaign manager confirmed there are more than 300,000 tickets registered for the upcoming rally in Tulsa.
