The messages, which came as the nation marks the day in 1865 that the last enslaved Black people in the US learned they had been freed from bondage, made no attempt at striking a unifying or commemorative tone. Instead, Trump used his platform to heighten the drama surrounding his return to the campaign trail after a 110-day pandemic-forced absence and warn those who oppose him to stay away.
“Please understand, you will not be treated like you have been in New York, Seattle, or Minneapolis. It will be a much different scene!” he wrote on Friday morning.
It was a turnabout from Trump’s declaration earlier this month that he is an “ally of all peaceful protesters,” though not necessarily a surprising one given his repeated condemnation of demonstrations that, in some instances, turned violent.
“Big crowds and lines already forming in Tulsa. My campaign hasn’t started yet. It starts on Saturday night in Oklahoma!” he wrote.
Indeed, outside the Bank of Oklahoma Center in Tulsa, a line began forming earlier this week with rally-goers enthusiastically awaiting the President’s arrival.
Tulsa’s mayor, a Republican, signed an executive order on Thursday establishing a curfew for parts of the downtown area near the rally location, saying more than 100,000 people were expected in the vicinity of the event.
The mayor said “individuals from organized groups who have been involved in destructive and violent behavior in other States are planning to travel to the City of Tulsa for purposes of causing unrest in and around the rally.”
On Friday, the White House issued a statement marking the holiday, writing it “reminds us of both the unimaginable injustice of slavery and the incomparable joy that must have attended emancipation. It is both a remembrance of a blight on our history and a celebration of our Nation’s unsurpassed ability to triumph over darkness.”
Yet the message of “triumph over darkness” was hardly visible on Trump’s Twitter feed fewer than 30 minutes later, when he tweeted his threat against protesters.
Trump also complained about a recent Fox News poll showing him trailing his Democratic presidential election rival Joe Biden by double digits, recent Democratic political advertising, the Supreme Court’s decision on immigration, and a message stating: “THE SILENT MAJORITY IS STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE.”
And the rally is being convened despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Oklahoma recently reported its largest single day increase in coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, and the arena where the rally will take place is requesting a written plan from the campaign “detailing the steps the event will institute for health and safety, including those related to social distancing.”
The Trump campaign said afterward it takes “safety seriously,” and noted hand sanitizer, temperature checks and masks will be provided to attendees, though actually wearing a mask won’t be required.
“This will be a Trump rally, which means a big, boisterous, excited crowd,” the campaign said.
This story has been updated with additional developments Friday.