Trump to return to the campaign trail

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump’s next political rally is set for Juneteenth—a holiday marking the end of slavery. The president on Wednesday announced he would hold the June 19 event in Tulsa, Okla. His rallies, which were put on hold in March because of the outbreak of the coronavirus, have drawn up to tens of thousands of people in the past. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, eliminated all limits on group gathering sizes earlier this month. The Trump campaign is planning other rallies in Florida, North Carolina, Arizona, and Texas.

How are people responding? Critics are calling a Trump rally on Juneteenth in the city where a race massacre happened offensive. In 1921, a mob of whites slaughtered many African American residents of the city. “Just knowing the comments that he makes and how he speaks to people, I just don’t see it being very positive, especially not for our community,” Lauren Bethly, an African American protester, told KTUL-TV in Tulsa. The president indicated his campaign chose Tulsa for the resumption of in-person rallies because of the state’s success in controlling the outbreak of the coronavirus: “They’ve done a great job with COVID, as you know, the state of Oklahoma.”

Dig deeper: Read Charissa Koh’s report in Compassion on pastors who are working to bridge the racial divide.