President Trump Bumps Tulsa Rally Date By A Day To Avoid Juneteenth Conflict

President Donald Trump has decided to move his planned Tulsa, Oklahoma rally from June 19 to June 20. The move came after many complained that the rally date came on Juneteenth, an important African American date celebrating the day the last state received news of the Emancipation, thereby effectively ending slavery in the US.

The symbolism of staging a rally on Juneteenth in Tulsa, the scene of one of America’s worst racial violence incidents, also played into the decision.

President Trump said his African American “friends and supporters” urged him to move the date. He said he then acted “Out of respect for this Holiday, and in observance of this important occasion and all that it represents. I have therefore decided to move our rally to Saturday, June 20th, in order to honor their requests.”

Earlier, many had expressed anger at the date choice, Oscar-winning actress Regina King among them. King appeared on the Seth Meyers Late Night show on Thursday

“I still kind of have chills,” King told Meyers. “It is — in a lot of ways — and he does it all the time — but he is really throwing the finger up. He is really like, ya know, I give two f’s. Two snaps and a finger.”

“It’s infuriating. It’s infuriating,” she added.