Impact2020: June 12, 2020
In your Impact2020 briefing for Friday, June 12, President Trump is under fire for the timing and location of his first rally in months as he and Joe Biden begin to return to more traditional campaigning. And Jacksonville Republicans get ready to party, but have yet to decide what to do to prevent the spread of the coronavirus at the convention.
On the Ground
Trump heads to Tulsa
As states continue to reopen during an ebb and flow of coronavirus cases, President Donald Trump is getting back to business as usual, planning to hold his first indoor rally in months in Tulsa, Okla., next week.
But several factors of the event have come under scrutiny. First, as McClatchy’s Chacour Koop reports, attendees must sign a coronavirus disclaimer to be admitted to the rally at the BOK Center, an arena that can hold about 19,000 people.
“The disclaimer that says attendees ‘assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19’ and agree to not hold the campaign liable for any illness or injury,” Koop writes.
Then, there’s the fact that the rally is scheduled for June 19. That’s Juneteenth, a holiday marking the end of slavery in the U.S. Whether the Trump campaign intentionally picked that date is unclear, but some prominent black lawmakers have spoken up about the timing.
Sen. Kamala Harris, a potential Joe Biden running mate, said, “This isn’t just a wink to white supremacists — he’s throwing them a welcome home party,” Don Sweeney reports for the Sacramento Bee.
For those unfamiliar with why that timing might be a particularly touchy subject, read this retelling of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre from the Tulsa World. Those who have seen the HBO series “Watchmen” will remember a re-creation of the events there and it’s importance to one of the central characters. (“Watchmen” star Regina King has even weighed in on the controversy.)
Credit: Greenwood Cultural Center via Tulsa World via AP
Interestingly enough, Oklahoma Republicans had been lobbying to host the GOP convention after learning it might be leaving Charlotte, N.C.. They got this rally as a sort of concession, Andrea Eger and Randy Krehbiel report for the Tulsa World.
And since we’ve mentioned the convention...
It’s official: the celebratory events of the Republican National Convention will take place in Jacksonville, Fla., while much of the official business will be conducted over just one day in Charlotte, Jim Morrill, Tim Funk and Kate Murphy report for the Charlotte Observer.
“The convention was once expected to span four days in Charlotte — bringing in 50,000 people and pumping more than $150 million into the local economy,” they write. “Instead, around 336 delegates will conduct the convention’s official business Monday, Aug. 24.”
The Jacksonville events will occur at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, which can hold 15,000 people. The Miami Herald’s David Smiley notes that the new location “is just south of the Florida-Georgia line, also giving Trump reach into two states where friendly, Republican governors have quickly eased coronavirus restrictions.”
“Jacksonville is among one of the few true swing counties in Florida,” Smiley adds. In 2016, “the metro area voted for Trump by about 6,000 votes, but two years later it swung Democrat in races for governor and U.S. Senate.”
The RNC did not announce a date for Trump’s speech accepting his party’s nomination. But the final day of the scheduled convention, Aug. 27, “falls on the 60th anniversary of Ax Handle Saturday, a 1960 attack on black lunch-counter protesters seen as a tipping point in Jacksonville’s civil rights history and race relations,” Smiley writes.
As for safety concerns related to the pandemic, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said those precautions will be determined closer to the event, Smiley and Francesca Chambers report for the Miami Herald.
Hitting the battleground states
Trump supporters and protesters gathered outside the Dallas church where he discussed holistic revitalization with faith leaders, law enforcers, small business owners two days after George Floyd’s Houston funeral.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Anna M. Tinsley reports that Trump commented about Floyd’s death and the protests against police brutality and racism it sparked, saying “what happened two weeks ago was a disgrace.”
Trump acknowledged there were “bad apples wherever you go,” including police departments, but also wondered “what happens late at night when you make that call to 911 and there’s nobody there?” He added that the country will have stronger police forces because “we have to dominate the street,” echoing some of the language he’s used recently including when he threatened to use active military forces on protesters.
The event took place before a private fundraiser that was expected to raise at least $10 million for Trump’s campaign, Tinsley reports.
Biden, meanwhile, visited the battleground state of Pennsylvania, stopping in West Philadelphia to introduce his eight-part plan to restart the national economy during a roundtable discussion, Julia Terruso reports of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Biden’s plan includes “directing the federal government to provide and pay for regular testing for workers called back to work” and suggested “ensuring workers have access to personal protective equipment and extending federal paid leave to workers who get sick from COVID-19, as well as those caring for family members with the virus,” Terruso writes.
Terruso also notes, “Vice President Mike Pence has a similar round-table discussion on reopening the economy scheduled near Pittsburgh on Friday.”
Trail Mix
Election disruption
Organizers say voter registration plunged nationally for both parties after the coronavirus halted face-to-face efforts to sign people up, Don Sweeney reports for McClatchy.
Protest fallout
The council of Louisville, Kentucky unanimously passed a measure named for Breonna Taylor that bans the use of no-knock warrants by police, McClatchy’s Mitchell Willetts reports, who also notes that Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has proposed a similar bill at the federal level.
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas says he does not agree with the dismounting of Christopher Columbus statues and shared a tweet of one taken down with the words “American Taliban,” Mike Stunson reports for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina is opposed to renaming Fayetteville’s Fort Bragg Army base, Brian Murphy reports for the Raleigh News & Observer.
Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri quoted Abraham Lincoln during a 9-minute speech from the Senate floor voicing his opposition to dropping Confederate names from military bases, Bryan Lowry reports for the Kansas City Star.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he expects a state panel to approve his request to remove the controversial statue of Confederacy President Jefferson Davis from the state Capitol, the Lexington Herald-Leader’s Jack Brammer and Daniel Desrochers write.
Listen Up
On the latest episode of the Beyond the Bubble podcast, McClatchy’s Adam Wollner, David Catanese and Michael Wilner debate whether Trump can rebound from his recent dip in the polls or if the 2020 race has fundamentally changed.
Download on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts.
Number of the Day
2 million
That’s how many confirmed coronavirus cases there have now been in the U.S. As McClatchy’s Tara Copp and Michael Wilner report, Army scientists believe they have found a vaccine candidate that has the potential to fight COVID-19.
For Planning Purposes
June 12
Pence travels to Pittsburgh for a listening session with faith and community leaders, lunch at a local restaurant, and a tour of Oberg Industries
Biden attend an AFSCME virtual town hall “on the public health and economic crises caused by COVID and systemic racial injustice”
June 23
Kentucky and New York hold primaries
July 7
Delaware and New Jersey hold primaries
Awkward...
Recycling plastic is great for the environment. But recycling the language in a political party platform four years later can be awkward.
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