Cops and protesters clash in Tulsa: Armed Trump supporters watch as police fire pepper balls at demonstrators who approached a bus full of National Guard troops outside the President's rally

Armed Donald Trump supporters surrounding the president’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, watched on Saturday night as police fired pepper balls into crowds of protesters.

Hundreds of demonstrators calling for racial justice gathered and marched though the streets as President Trump held his rally in the BOK Center.

Trump supporters wearing Make America Great Again hats and carrying Trump 2020 flags were seen sheltering behind a cooler full of beers as Tulsa police shot the pepper balls at the nearby protesters who had approached a National Guard bus.

The anti-Trump demonstration quickly retreated further away from the rally venue as law enforcement opened fire.

Hundreds of demonstrators flooded the city's downtown streets and blocked traffic at times, but police reported just a handful of arrests. 

Many of the marchers chanted, and some occasionally got into shouting matches with Trump supporters, who outnumbered them and yelled, 'All lives matter'. 

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Armed President Donald  Trump's supporters watch on during a protest against racial injustice near the site of a rally for the president in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday night. Trump fans continued to watch on as the protests were hit with pepper balls

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Tulsa police officers arrive on Boulder Ave with pepper balls as they confront protesters on the perimeter of President Donald Trump's campaign rally at the BOK Center in Oklahoma on Saturday night

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President Donald Trump supporters take cover behind a cooler full of beers as police shoot pepper balls at protesters demonstrating for racial justice  in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Donald Trump held a campaign rally earlier Saturday night

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Police officers march towards the crowd where Trump supporters and anti-Trump protesters roamed the same area in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after the president's rally finished on Saturday night

Tulsa police pushed back on protesters with pepper balls as Trump fans emerged from the rally and two groups began to roam the same area of the city.  

Trump supporters and protesters were seen arguing with each other on the streets as the night progressed but no major violence was reported. 

One interaction saw a Trump supporter telling a protester he was a 'traitor'. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, some fist fights broke out but they were quickly broken up by others in the crowd as some began to chant 'Peace'. 

Later in the evening, a group of armed men began following the protesters and Trump fans at times attempted to stand in between demonstrations and the cops. 

Police and National Guard members already lined some of the streets, some wearing face shields, as protesters chanted at Trump fans to 'go home racists'.  

There was an undercurrent of tension near the entrance to the secured area, where Trump supporters and opponents squared off. 

Several downtown businesses had boarded up their windows as well to avoid any potential damage. 

When the protesters blocked an intersection, a man wearing a Trump shirt got out of a truck and spattered them with pepper spray. 

When demonstrators approached a National Guard bus that got separated from its caravan, Tulsa police officers fired pepper balls to push back the crowd, said Tulsa police spokesperson Capt. Richard Meulenberg. 

The crowd was seen gathering around the bus and refusing the allow it to leave.  

Officers soon left the area as it cleared.

At around 10.15pm protesters in parts of Tulsa felt a magnitude 4.2 earthquake that shook northern Oklahoma.

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake near Perry, roughly 80 miles west of the city. 

The National Weather Service in Oklahoma said on Twitter that its staff felt the tremor in its Tulsa office, and the earthquake generated social media buzz after Trump's appearance.

It was the largest recorded earthquake in Oklahoma since a magnitude 4.4 quake in May 2019.

As the demonstrators continued to march into the early hours of Sunday morning, they gathered in the Greenwood area of the city that had been known as 'Black Wall Street'.

It was the location of the 1921 Tulsa race riot, one of the worst race riots in U.S. history.  

A party atmosphere took over as protesters, many seen without face masks, settled in under an overpass. 

The Trump faithful gathered inside the 19,000-seat BOK Center for what was supposed to be the largest indoor event in the country since restrictions to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus began in March. 

Many of the president's supporters weren't wearing masks, despite the recommendation of public health officials. Some had been camped near the venue since early in the week. 

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Protesters fill Boulder Ave. after Tulsa Police fired pepper balls at them after President Donald Trump's campaign rally at the BOK Center in Tulsa on Saturday night

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Protesters were seen in videos running from pepper balls shot by Tulsa police on Saturday night

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The protesters were said to have approached a National Guard bus that got separated from its caravan

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Members of the boogaloo movement watch a protest near the BOK Center where Trump held a campaign rally Saturday

Turnout at the rally was lower than the campaign predicted, with a large swath of standing room on the stadium floor and empty seats in the balconies. 

Trump had been scheduled to appear at a rally outside of the stadium within a perimeter of tall metal barriers, but that event was abruptly canceled.

While Trump spoke onstage, protesters carried a papier-mache representation of him with a pig snout. 

Some in the group wore Black Lives Matter shirts, others sported rainbow-colored armbands, and many covered their mouths and noses with masks. 

At one point, several people stopped to dance to gospel singer Kirk Franklin´s song 'Revolution'. 

The protesters blocked traffic in at least one intersection. Some Black leaders in Tulsa had said they were worried the visit could lead to violence. It came amid protests over racial injustice and policing across the U.S. and in a city that has a long history of racial tension. 

Officials had said they expected some 100,000 people downtown.

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Demonstrators walk in the street in the Greenwood area after President Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa on Saturday

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People gather in the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a block party/car show in a continuation of Juneteenth weekend festivities on Saturday night. The celebrations continued as President Trump held a rally in the city 

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Protesters are kept back by members of the Oklahoma National Guard on the perimeter of President Donald Trump's campaign rally at BOK Center in Tulsa on Saturday. Protesters clashed with cops later in the night

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Armed demonstrators remained on the streets until early Sunday morning after President Trump's rally in Tulsa

A woman who was arrested on live television was seen sitting cross-legged on the ground in peaceful protest when officers pulled her away by the arms and later put her in handcuffs. She said her name was Sheila Buck and that she was from Tulsa.

Police said in a news release the officers tried for several minutes to talk Buck into leaving and that she was taken into custody for obstruction after the Trump campaign asked police to remove her from the area.

Buck was wearing a T-shirt that said 'I Can't Breathe' - the dying words of George Floyd, whose death has inspired a global push for racial justice. 

She said she had a ticket to the Trump rally and was told she was being arrested for trespassing. She said she was not part of any organized group. 

Saturday night marked Trump's return to the trail since campaigning was sidelined by the coronavirus crisis and since Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee. 

He kicked off his first rally in nearly four months by thanking the supporters who showed up and launching an array of attacks against his Democratic rival Joe Biden. 

It was painted as the event that would reset the Trump campaign, bring the president back up in the polls, and let Trump enjoy the cheers of supporters - the kind of energy he craves and thrives off of.

But the BOK Center was marked by row after row of empty seats and a scheduled stop for the president for the outside overflow area had to be canceled after the expected crowds didn't appear.

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Empty seats are visible in the BOK Center as President Trump waves to the crowd at his rally

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The floor area surrounding the stage where Trump will speak was only half filled - it is usually packed at Trump rallies - and empty seats were in the stands

The president and his team had a variety of reasons for the lack of a crowd, including media reports on the rising number of coronavirus cases in Oklahoma and protesters outside of arena, claiming they blocked the security lines so people could not get inside.

In his nearly 1 hour and 41 minute speech, Trump railed against his rival 'Sleepy Joe' and claimed he was controlled by the 'radical left.' His speech painted a fearful picture of life in America under a President Joe Biden, where people wouldn't be able to own a gun or go to church, and where mob rule would be a way of life.

His speech contained the kind of political red meat his supporters like to hear: his support for a strong military, his criticism of protesters tearing down statues of Confederate Army officers, his demand that other nations stop 'ripping off' the United States, and his call for people who burn the American flag to serve one year in jail.

He also defended his record in two areas that voters have given him low marks: his handling of race relations and his response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 119,000 Americans.

But he made no mention of Juneteenth, the date marking the end of slavery, which was the day before his rally. 

Instead, Trump bragged about his tough stance on the protests that sprung up across the country after Floyd died. The president had called on mayors and governors to bring out the National Guard against the demonstrators. He labeled himself the 'law and order president.' 

Protests for racial justice continued in other parts of the country on Saturday night.

In Richmond, Virginia, an image of Harriet Tubman was projected on to the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

Elsewhere in Salt Lake City, Utah, demonstrators protesting against police brutality were met with counter protesters showing support for local law enforcement and first responders.

Black Lives Matter supporters looked on as Utah Business Revival hosted a ‘Blue Rally’.

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An image of Harriet Tubman is projected on the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia

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People look on during the Utah Business Revival's 'Blue Rally' to support men and women of law enforcement Saturday