Trump Tulsa rally delayed by one day

President Donald Trump pushed back his first campaign rally in months by one day after critics condemned him for scheduling it on Juneteenth, the observance of the end of slavery in the United States, in a city that experienced one of the country’s worst episodes of racial violence in U.S. history.

In a late-night tweet Friday, Trump said he is pushing the “Make America Great Again” rally in Tulsa back a day, to June 20, in response to “many of my African American friends and supporters.”

“We had previously scheduled our #MAGA Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for June 19th - a big deal,” Trump wrote. “Unfortunately, however, this would fall on the Juneteenth Holiday. Many of my African American friends and supporters have reached out to suggest that we consider changing the date out of respect for this Holiday, and in observance of this important occasion and all that it represents.”

In a television interview recorded Thursday, Trump said the date had not been chosen deliberately but dismissed concerns about the timing.

“Think about it as a celebration. My rallies are celebrations,” Trump told Fox News. “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 fact I’m having a rally on that day you can really think about that very positively.”

During the same interview, Trump also asserted that, “I think I’ve done more for the black community than any other president.”