Trump postpones his Tulsa rally to June 20 ‘out of respect’ for Juneteenth holiday that celebrates end of slavery

US President Donald Trump, has moved his planned rally meant for June 19 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to the 20th out of “respect” for Juneteenth, he announced.

The campaign rally, originally scheduled for the holiday on Friday, June 19, also known as the Juneteenth, which is the day when news that President Lincoln had signed the Slavery Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas, the last state where slaves learned of their freedom.

The location of the rally, Tulsa, has also generated controversy as Tulsa in 1921 was the area where mobs of white rioters attacked black residents and their homes and businesses in a historic section of the city known as “Black Wall Street.”  Hundreds of black  residents were killed and thousands more left homeless.

The original date fell “on the Juneteenth Holiday,” Trump wrote in a series of tweets. 

“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.”

Trump also revealed his campaign has registered upwards of 200,000 ticket requests for the rally event, his first rally since the coronavirus pandemic. Supporters attending the event must first sign a disclaimer bearing all responsibility if they contract COVID-19.