Trump Disprages Biden’s Event for Following Social Distancing Guidelines

Trump responds to Black Lives Matter by defending the Confederacy

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Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:03 pm

President Donald Trump slammed his opponent, presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, for holding an event that adhered to social distancing guidelines.

“Joe Biden’s rally. ZERO enthusiasm!” tweeted Trump.

In a statement, Tim Murtaugh, a Trump campaign spokesman, said Biden, who has held fewer campaign events, is leading a ploy to avoid potential embarrassment with the general public.

“This is obviously a tactic to help him avoid errors and embarrassing, lost trains of thought, while also conveniently preventing the press corps from asking him any questions in person,” he said.

Trump’s attack comes just 24 hours before he is due to hold a widely derided rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma tomorrow. The rally remains a point of contention for many critics, particularly the Tulsa Health Department, which has urged the president to cancel the event altogether, citing fears that it would set off a spike in coronavirus infections in the state.

The city of Tulsa announced a curfew last night that will also be in effect Friday and Saturday in the area where the president’s rally is being held.

“This is an unprecedented event for the City of Tulsa and has hundreds of moving parts, we are asking for everyone’s help in making this a safe event for all citizens,” the city’s police department tweeted.

Earlier today, the president issued a threat against anyone who plans to protest the event.

“Any protesters, anarchists, agitators, looters or lowlifes who are going to Oklahoma please understand, you will not be treated like you have been in New York, Seattle, or Minneapolis,” he wrote on Twitter. “It will be a much different scene!”

The president’s tweet was a reference to violent confrontations that have unfolded between demonstrators and police departments across the country as thousands take the streets to protest racial injustice and police brutality. Police officers have been caught on camera brutalizing protesters, intensifying a national conversation on ineffective, often dangerous policing practices that disproportionately impact black people and others of color.