President Donald Trump is describing his first rally since coronavirus shutdowns began as a "celebration," and denied that it was scheduled purposely on June 19, the Juneteenth holiday celebrated by African Americans as the day of freedom from slavery.
He also did not comment in a clip shown on Fox News' "Fox and Friends" from his interview with Fox News' Harris Faulker about the reasons the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the site of one of the worst race riots in American history, was chosen for his rally.
"Think about it as a celebration," Trump said. "My rally is a celebration. We are starting. In the history of politics, I think I can say there has never been any group or any person that's had rallies like I do. I go and I just say give me the biggest stadium and we fill it up every time. We have never had a vacant stadium."
Faulkner commented after the clip was released that she does not know about the historical significance of Tulsa, the scene of the May 31, 1921, Tulsa Race Massacre. The time and place of the rally began to draw heat from Democrats, who say the plans for the upcoming MAGA rally are racist.
"He has got a whole team choosing these things," said Faulkner. "He says that they are going to celebrate on that day. We will see what happens between now and next Friday.
Trump campaign senior adviser Katrina Pierson has rejected the accusations that the campaign rally time and date are racially motivated, reports The Washington Times.
“As the party of Lincoln, Republicans are proud of the history of Juneteenth, which is the anniversary of the last reading of the Emancipation Proclamation,” she said in a statement. “President Trump has built a record of success for black Americans, including unprecedented low unemployment prior to the global pandemic, all-time high funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and criminal justice reform. Joe Biden spent last Juneteenth raising money at a private fundraiser and defending comments he made celebrating his work with segregationist senators.”
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.