Trump Ties Biden to ‘Radicals’ in Tulsa Rally: Protest Wrap
Trump Ties Biden to ‘Radicals’ in Tulsa Rally: Protest Wrap
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump, in his first rally since the twin crises of the coronavirus and nationwide anguish over racial injustice, tied the protests to his Democratic opponent Joe Biden, saying he was a “puppet of the radical left.” To cheers, he decried the destruction of historical monuments and turmoil in the National Football League, which he said he would not tolerate, now or if reelected. “The choice in 2020 is clear,” he said.
He began the rally blaming some “very bad people outside. They were doing some bad things.” An earlier outdoor event was canceled, which his campaign blamed on “radical protesters” for blocking entrances. Around 100 demonstrators rallied in front of entrances, though it was unclear if they stopped anyone. The 19,000-seat venue was not at full capacity. Few inside wore masks.
Tensions heated up after Trump ended his speech. Police fired projectiles near demonstrators who flooded Tulsa’s streets before backing off.
Earlier, #CancelYale was trending on Twitter as people took to social media to protest against the university’s name, traced back to merchant and slave trader Elihu Yale. Users also pointed out an incident in 2018 when a white student called the police to report a black graduate who was napping in her dorm’s common room.
Protesters attacked statues across the country, from Ulysses Grant, the general who won the Civil War and married into a slave-owning family, to Francis Scott Key, who wrote the “Star-Spangled Banner” and owned slaves. Also targeted was a statue of Junipero Serra, a priest credited with bringing Roman Catholicism to the western U.S.
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