Lara Trump slams critics of president's planned Tulsa rally and says 'everybody has a choice' amid fears the 20,000-seat indoor event will spread coronavirus
Lara Trump has fired back at critics who say her father-in-law's planned indoor campaign rally in Tulsa this weekend will spread coronavirus.
The senior campaign adviser said masks will be handed out for up to 20,000 people at the Oklahoma arena, but no one will be forced to wear them.
'Everybody has a choice,' she told The Story yesterday. 'Nobody has to attend the rally. It's a freedom we should all have in America.'
Lara has been married to the US president's son Eric, 36, since 2014 and the couple share two children.
She also blasted the 'hypocrisy' of critics who want to see the rally cancelled when thousands of people have been gathering to protest for Black Lives Matter across the world over the last three weeks.
Lara Trump (right), a senior campaign adviser said masks will be handed out for up to 20,000 people at the Oklahoma arena, but no one will be forced to wear them
On Monday Donald Trump's campaign said it would not delay his first post-coronavirus rally, but will take every attendee's temperature and pass out hand sanitizer and masks. Pictured, Trump arriving at a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, on February 10
The demonstrations were held in response to the killing of George Floyd on May 25.
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was seen on video pinning his knee into the back of Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds before his death.
On Monday Trump's campaign said it would not delay his first post-coronavirus rally, but will take every attendee's temperature and pass out hand sanitizer and masks.
'Over 1M ticket requests for the @realDonaldTrump #MAGA Rally in Tulsa on Saturday,' Trump's reelection campaign manager, Brad Parscale, tweeted Monday.
He added: 'Before entering each guest will get: Temperature check, Hand sanitizer, Mask.'
'There will be precautions for the heat and bottled water as well,' Parscale noted in reference to previous summer rallies where supporters have needed medical attention after overheating.
Lara has been married to the US president's son Eric, 36, since 2014 and the couple share two children. Pictured in March at a rally in North Carolina
Rally-goers will be given masks and hand sanitizer while entering the arena – but they will not have to wear the face coverings
Trump asserted Democrats and media are trying to 'Covid Shame' him into canceling his campaign rallies while he claims they 'have no Covid problem with the Rioters & Looters destroying Democrat run cities'
The president also boasted nearly a million people have asked for tickets to the comeback rally
During yesterday's interview Lara seemed to suggest there would be no social distancing measures in place in the arena.
Medical professionals, health experts, Democrats and even those within Trump's own party have warned of the risks holding the rally poses for people in Tulsa.
Earlier Monday, Trump claimed calls for him to cancel his crowded rallies were just attempts from Democrats to 'COVID Shame' him into staying off the campaign trail.
The popular, well-attended campaign events fire up the president's loyalist base and are a way for Trump to directly interact with his supporters and get validation from thousands of enthusiastic attendees.
'The Far Left Fake News Media, which had no Covid problem with the Rioters & Looters destroying Democrat run cities, is trying to Covid Shame us on our big Rallies,' he accused in a tweet Monday, adding: 'Won't work!'
The president boasted Monday morning that nearly a million people have signed up for tickets to the rally in Tulsa on Saturday – but health officials warn the president of the risk the crowded indoor event can pose to himself and supporters.
'Almost One Million people request tickets for the Saturday Night Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma!' Trump posted to Twitter.
Tulsa City-Council Health Department Director Bruce Dart (pictured) urged Donald Trump to postpone his Saturday rally there until coronavirus threat subsides
Trump plans to travel to the red state over the weekend to hold his first reelection campaign rally since March 2 after he was sidelined to Washington, D.C. with the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic and new health and safety guidelines.
He has also alluded that his decision to restart rallies is in part affected by the fact that large, crowded groups of protesters have gathered to march down city streets across the country – and has suggested if that is now safe, so are his massive rallies.
The move received widespread criticism and warning for the potential it has of starting another wave of COVID-19 in the area.
Tulsa City-Council Health Department Director Dr. Bruce Dart cautioned Saturday that Trump's campaign rally could be dangerous to attendees as the state sees a resurgence of coronavirus.
Dart told Tulsa World in an interview over the weekend that the massive gathering could even be dangerous to the president himself as the city sees a 'significant increase in our case trends.'
'I think it's an honor for Tulsa to have a sitting president want to come and visit our community, but not during a pandemic,' Dart said.
'I'm concerned about our ability to protect anyone who attends a large, indoor event, and I'm also concerned about our ability to ensure the president stays safe as well,' he continued.
Trump's first post-coronavirus rally will be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday, June 20 after he was forced off the campaign trail for more than three months as lockdowns and social distancing guidelines sidelined him back to Washington, D.C.
As Dart pushes for a delay for the comeback rally, White House Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow also admitted that if people attend the president's campaign event they should wear masks.
'It is a concern,' Kudlow told CNN's State of the Union host Jake Tapper on Sunday morning. 'People must observe the safety guidelines, OK, must. The social distancing must be observed. Face coverings in key places must be observed.'
When asked if he feels the same way about people wearing masks when attending Trump's rally on Saturday, June 20 in Tulsa, Kudlow conceded, 'Well, OK, probably so.'
In Tulsa County, 62 people have died from COVID-19 and there are 1,525 confirmed cases as of Sunday – with about 18 per cent of that total coming from the 82 new cases reported on Sunday.
On Saturday, Oklahoma health officials reported 225 new cases of coronavirus, marking a new high in daily increases for the state.
'COVID is here in Tulsa, it is transmitting very efficiently,' Dart said. 'I wish we could postpone this to a time when the virus isn't as large a concern as it is today.'
White House Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow also admitted Sunday that if people attend Trump's rally on Saturday, they should wear masks
Tulsa has seen a spike in coronavirus cases recently, with 121 new cases in the last two days of the 1,564 total cases in the county
Data for the county shows that Tulsa's seven-day rolling average for new cases has risen from 24.9 on June 7 to 51.4 as of Friday – and Dart says the increase is not due to any sort of bolstered testing efforts.
He claimed that the increase could be attributed to people attending several private events recently and ignoring guidelines due after experiencing 'quarantine fatigue.'
Trump's rally on Saturday, as of now, will take place at the Bank of Oklahoma Center, a 19,199-seat multi-purpose sports and events arena.
The president claims 20,000 people have already requested tickets for the event on his reelection campaign website.
'A large indoor rally with 19-20,000 people is a huge risk factor today in Tulsa, Oklahoma,' Dart said. 'I want to make sure we can keep everyone in that building safe, including the president.'
Dart added that 'people are not staying home now, they're out and about.'
'I completely understand that, staying closed just wasn't feasible economically and from an emotional, physical perspective,' he told Tulsa World, urging that if the rally goes forward some sort of social distancing or mask requirements be implemented.
He also suggested that the rally, and any other events in Tulsa, be held outdoors.
'So if we're going to be out, we shouldn't be in enclosed spaces and we shouldn't have extended contact with other people because that's where the risk lies,' Dart said.
Oklahoma Senator James Lankford said Sunday that he encouraged Donald Trump to change his rally date, but keep it on a day surrounding Juneteenth. 'My encouragement to the President was to be able to pick a day around it... I think that would be very, very respectful to the community'
Trump has suggested that his rallies should be able to resume after massive protests broke out all over the country with demonstrators standing in close proximity to each other, and many not wearing masks.
Other controversy emerged over Trump's rally after he announced last week that it would originally take place on Friday, June 19 – which is the Civil Rights holiday of Juneteenth to commemorate the date the last black slaves were informed of their freedom following the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Republican Oklahoma Senator James Lankford said Sunday that he encouraged Trump to pick a day for his rally around Juneteenth, rather than on the day itself, after the president faced backlash for his decision.
Lankford said during CNN's State of the Union Sunday morning that Trump brought up the issue during an unrelated call last week, and asked the Republican lawmaker for his advice on how to move forward after scheduling the Tulsa rally for Friday.
'My encouragement to the President was to be able to pick a day around it,' Lankford told Tapper. 'I think that would be very, very respectful to the community.'
'He didn't see it as disrespectful to be able to do it on Juneteenth,' the GOP senator said of Trump's decision to originally schedule the rally for that date.
Trump made an impromptu announcement during a meeting surrounded by black supporters last week that he would hold his first rally since March in deep red Oklahoma on June 19.
Trump previously said the date of his first post-coronavirus rally was not meant to coincide with the holiday
Fox News Channel's Harris Faulker asked President Trump if his decision to hold his first campaign rally in the midst of nationwide protests on Juneteenth in Tulsa was 'on purpose'
Trump originally claimed that he didn't schedule the rally for the reason of commemorating the holiday, but later defended the move as a way to 'celebrate' the date the last slaves were informed of their freedom thanks to the Emancipation Proclamation.
'Think about it as a celebration. My rally is a celebration,' the president said during a sit-down interview with Fox News Channel's Harris Faulkner. 'In the history of politics, I think I can say there's never been any group or any person that's had rallies like I do.'
The president's answer was prompted from Faulkner, who is black, asking Trump if he had selected the date and the location 'on purpose,' as both have meaning to black Americans - while Oklahoma isn't a swing state.
Trump said he will head to three other states to hold massive rallies soon as coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions begin to lift – all three, North Carolina, Arizona and Florida, are swing states.
While the president has not been consistent on whether the June 19 date has significance for his rally as the country faces some of the most outward race riots and protests since the Civil Rights Movement, the city itself is significant because it faced one of the most violent racial episodes in US history there 99 years ago.
Ninety-nine years ago in Tulsa a gang of white people stormed the area of the city that was nicknamed 'Black Wall Street' and killed black people, looted businesses and even used airplanes to firebomb the neighborhood
This 1921 photo shows the aftermath of the assault by white Americans on black Americans in the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma
To Faulkner's question Trump answered, 'No, but I know exactly what you're going to say.'
'Well, I'm just asking. I've not got anything to say,' Faulkner replied.
But a number of black leaders have chewed into Trump for the rally's date and locale.
On May 31 and June 1, 1921, white residents attacked and killed black residents in the Greenwood district of Tulsa that was referred to at the time as 'Black Wall Street.'
Stores and homes were looted and burned. White assailants even used airplanes to drop firebombs, some eyewitnesses said. There's a continued search for mass graves.
Younger audiences learned this piece of horrific American history last year when it was depicted on the HBO show 'Watchmen.'
The choice seemed to be just another way Trump was dog-whistling to his predominantly white base in the aftermath of George Floyd's death, which inspired 'Black Lives Matter' protests across the nation.
For over a week Trump has tried to push a 'law and order' message, signaling that he sided with police over protesters.
The Trump rally could attract more 'Black Lives Matter' protests, which have had public health officials concerned could contribute to the coronavirus spread.
For his own crowd, the president's campaign has asked rally-goers to agree not to sue the campaign and other entities if they contract COVID-19.
President Trump's supporters who want tickets for his Tulsa rally have to agree not to sue the president's campaign and other entities if they contract COVID-19. The language is at the bottom of the ticketing form
'By clicking register below, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present,' a ticketing form on the campaign website read.
It goes on to say that by attending the June 19 rally 'you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold Donald J. Trump for President ... liable for any illness or injury.'
By obtaining tickets through the form, rally attendees are also not able to sue the Bank of Oklahoma Center, the venue for the rally, ASM Global, which is the venue's management company and 'any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, or volunteers,' the disclaimer said.
The Trump campaign has not announced any social distancing plans, though spokesman Tim Murtaugh told DailyMail.com, 'There will be health precautions.'
During his sit-down with Faulkner during a trip Thursday to Texas, Trump simply highlighted the potential size of the crowd.
'I go and I just say, give me the biggest stadium and we fill it up every time,' the president said.
'We've never had a vacancy,' he boasted.
Lara Trump slams critics of president's planned Tulsa rally and says 'everybody has a choice' amid fears the 20,000-seat indoor event will spread coronavirus
![Lara Trump slams critics of president's planned Tulsa rally and says 'everybody has a choice' amid fears the 20,000-seat indoor event will spread coronavirus]()
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