Trump to begin campaign rallies in Tulsa on 'Juneteeth', amid Black Lives Matter protests

US President Donald Trump has announced that he will resume his election rallies from Oklahoma, followed by a series of others in the states of Texas, Florida, Arizona, and North Carolina. Trump will start off his campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 19, marking his first rally in three months since the coronavirus lockdown.

“A beautiful new venue, brand new. We’re looking forward to it," Trump said during a White House event. “They’ve done a great job with COVID-19, as you know, the state of Oklahoma.”

The rally is set to take place on June 19, in the city where a massacre of Black people occurred on the same day in 1921 - with the significance not lost amid the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests.

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Significance of 'Juneteenth'

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Tulsa has its own troubling history of racial injustice. In 1921, Tulsa’s once-thriving African-American business community was destroyed by a racist white mob who killed hundreds of African-American residents. They attempted to rebuild the city in the following decades; however, their work was erased during the urban renewal of the 1960s.

It seems the Trump campaign is aware of the significance of the President’s first rally in Tulsa, on 19 June. Responding to a  reporter, a Trump campaign advisor wrote, “Republicans are proud of the history of Juneteenth”.

Trump’s rally on Juneteenth comes amid the ongoing ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests in the country. The unrest was sparked due to the death of George Floyd by a white cop and calls for the end of racial injustice in the US.

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Coronavirus concerns

The event also raises public health concerns, considering coronavirus infections are on the rise in 12 states.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the US stands at 1,985,670 and the current death tally climbed to at least 112,289. According to the reports, the US is one of the hardest-hit nations with US President Donald Trump being heavily criticized for his handling of the crisis. 

Trump, 77, is seeking his re-election in the November presidential elections. Former Vice President Joe Biden is his main challenger from the opposition Democratic party.

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