Trump Says Tulsa Mayor is Waiving Statewide Curfew to Allow His Supporters to Camp Out Before Rally
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Great news for President Donald Trump and his supporters in Tulsa, Oklahoma who planned on attending his campaign kickoff rally on Saturday: Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum agreed waive a city curfew the next two nights.
Trump triumphantly tweeted the news Friday, calling Bynum “highly respected” and offering his thanks.
I just spoke to the highly respected Mayor of Tulsa, G.T. Bynum, who informed me there will be no curfew tonight or tomorrow for our many supporters attending the #MAGA Rally. Enjoy yourselves – thank you to Mayor Bynum! @gtbynum
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2020
A curfew would have prohibited camping outside the event venue, as supporters have been lining up for several days, hoping to secure a better seat for the rally.
New York Times White House correspondent Annie Karni reported that the Tulsa Police Department had been making preparations to move everyone who had been camping out when the news broke about the curfew being rescinded.
Tweet lands literally as Tulsa Police Department spokeswoman is telling me in response to inquiry about the curfew that Trump supporters camped out overnight will be moved. https://t.co/Y8aFDHrh2T
— Annie Karni (@anniekarni) June 19, 2020
Karni confirmed with Bynum’s office that the curfew had indeed been waived.
Tulsa mayor’s office, post Trump tweet, says: “curfew has been rescinded.”
— Annie Karni (@anniekarni) June 19, 2020
The mayor’s agreement to rescind the curfew was by no means guaranteed, as coronavirus cases have been noticeably increasing in Tulsa and other metropolitan areas around the country. The Trump campaign faced criticism for the rally plans, both for the coronavirus transmission risk posed by the crowd and for the rally’s original date of June 19th — Juneteenth, the date celebrating the freeing of the slaves after the end of the Civil War.
