TULSA, Oklahoma—Trump flags, coronavirus conspiracies, and cartoons of the president pissing on the CNN logo outnumbered face masks on Saturday afternoon outside the arena where President Trump will hold his first mid-pandemic campaign rally.
Some in the crowd began lining up days ago at the border gates surrounding the BOK Center in downtown Tulsa—all for a glimpse of Trump in his first rally since March.
It will be the first visit to Tulsa by a sitting U.S. president in more than 25 years. It comes in the middle of a global pandemic and as coronavirus cases in Oklahoma are on the upswing.
Saturday, hours before the rally, that six members of Trump campaign staff doing set-up work in Tulsa had tested positive for COVID-19.
Outside the 19,000-seat arena, a festive mood prevailed among the hundred or more who gathered early to snag a seat. Trump flags were more popular than American flags. Vendors lined the streets hawking everything from giant flags depicting a muscular Trump outfitted as the movie character Rambo to a colorful variety of Trump merchandise. T-shirts and memorabilia for sale were emblazoned with everything from ‘God, Trump and Guns’ to a cartoon caricature of Trump pissing on the CNN logo.
One woman, who staged a sitting protest while wearing a T-shirt that said “I Can’t Breathe” was arrested on live television and removed from the area surrounding the arena when she refused to leave. The woman identified herself as Sheila Buck and said she had bought a ticket to the event.
News crews from all over the world, including Russian state television, interviewed Trump supporters, who were eager to share their views.
“The rallies are fun. It’s a big party,” said a woman from Chicago who gave her name only as Erin and who has traveled throughout the country to several Trump campaign events.
Like most of those gathered, she wasn’t concerned about COVID-19 and didn’t wear a mask. Nor was she concerned about protesters or agitators who might converge on Tulsa since members of the Oklahoma National Guard lined the streets carrying rifles.
A young man with a cowboy hat yelled from a military-style truck adorned with InfoWars logos about how Democrats are destroying America and the COVID-19 virus isn’t real.
“Did you know the cure for coronavirus is riding in the streets? That’s science,” he proclaimed.
Several young Black men meandered through the crowd selling “Blacks for Trump” gear and signs, while former NFL Dallas Cowboys linebacker Bruce Carter mingled to promote his group “Trump for Urban Communities.” He has
as a Trump operative recruited by Breitbart News to suppress the black vote in key states.
Some had camped out overnight or even the past week to assure a spot at the rally. They said the previous night was peaceful; only a few protesters came through the area shouting at the supporters and waking them at 3 a.m.
Cliff Sallas, a resident of nearby Sand Springs, spent the night there and was upset with Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum because no portable restrooms were provided for attendees. He said his family was allowed to use the facilities at the Hyatt Regency a few blocks away.
“I find it hard to understand why people don’t see what Trump has done for this country,” he said.
Nguyet Truong and her husband, Meng, came to Tulsa in 1975 as refugees from Vietnam. Both, who are now American citizens, said they are proud to support Trump because he is good for the economy and has won the respect of the world.
“We came from Vietnam so we know what communism is like,” Meng said. “We don’t want that.”
Trump was expected to arrive in Tulsa at 6 p.m. for the 7 p.m. rally, his first in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Credit: news.phxfeeds.com
