Tulsa braces for Trump's 'wild evening' amid unrest and coronavirus fears

The city of Tulsa, Oklahoma is braced for Donald Trump’s first campaign rally since the coronavirus pandemic struck the United States, claiming more than 118,000 lives so far, plunging the economy into recession, and leading to widespread criticism of the president’s botched response to a crisis that has seen his approval ratings tank in recent polls.

The indoor rally, at Tulsa’s 19,000-person capacity BOK Center, comes as the city and the state of Oklahoma experience a surge in Covid-19 cases and local public health officials urge the campaign to reschedule the event over fears that the close contact between attendees – who will not be forced to wear face masks – could lead to more deaths.

On Friday Trump promised a “wild evening” for his supporters in Tulsa and used Twitter to threaten “protesters, anarchists, agitators, looters or lowlifes” in the city that they would “not be treated” in the same way they have in other parts of the country.

Trump’s decision to hold a mass rally in Tulsa has drawn outrage from the local black community as well as others who have poured onto the streets in protest following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month. Counter rallies are expected in the city and brief verbal disputes between Trump supporters, dozens of whom have been camped out for days to gain entry to the event, and protesters have occurred sporadically in recent days. Large fences, road blocks and heavy police presence surrounded the arena on Friday evening.

The rally will take place within a mile of the historic Greenwood district, the site of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, one of the most violent episodes of racist violence in modern American history that still haunts the city. It also occurs the day after Juneteenth, a national day of commemoration to memorialize the ending of slavery in the United States.

The city celebrated the Juneteenth with a large rally in Greenwood on Friday evening, with a few thousand attendees. The event was headlined by the veteran civil rights campaigner Reverend Al Sharpton.

In an interview with the Guardian before he took to the stage, Sharpton, who was escorted to the stage by three police officers, said he had received death threats tied to his appearance.

“I wanted to be here, and no threat would stop me from speaking today,” Sharpton said.

He echoed the local criticism that holding a rally a day after Juneteenth was racially insensitive.

“He [Trump] believes that America was great when it was for white males, white women couldn’t even vote. Blacks were enslaved. Latinos were not welcome. Yet he grew up in the shadows of the statue of liberty and I think that is a glaring contradiction that shows the lack of character of this man.”

Trump is expected to talk about the wave of protest and national reckoning on race and police following the death of Floyd in late May during his speech.

On Thursday, amid fears of unrest, Tulsa’s mayor G.T. Bynum issued a curfew, which was later rescinded after Trump personally intervened. “Enjoy yourselves - thank you to Mayor Bynum!” the president tweeted after the curfew was withdrawn.

The move came shortly before the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled against a lawsuit requesting that all attendees wear face masks and maintain social distancing during the rally. Although the campaign will supply masks and hand sanitizer, a number of attendees have indicated that they do not plan to wear them.

Tulsa’s city health director, Dr Bruce Dart, has said publicly throughout the week that he wants the event to be postponed, noting the likelihood of coronavirus spread as cases during the rally as cases in Oklahoma continue to drastically spike to successive new highs over the past few days.

The Trump campaign has made attendees sign waivers accepting they will not hold the president or the campaign responsible if they contract the virus.

Earlier in the week a senior campaign official, Marc Lotter, told the Guardian that “at risk” individuals should stay away from the rally and watch it on television. CDC guidance states at risk groups including those over 65, residents of care homes and those with underlying conditions.

Despite Lotter’s warnings, Trump has issued no such statement and the invite for the online campaign event makes no reference to at risk groups.