Trump blames 'thugs' outside his campaign rally for low turnout

Jun 21, 2020

Oklahoma [USA], June 21 : At Donald Trump's first Presidential campaign rally amid the coronavirus pandemic, which was smaller than initially expected and failed to pull a massive crowd, the US President criticized "thugs" outside his campaign rally and said that these protesters kept the crowds away from his rally.
"There were some bad people outside who stopped others from attending the event," Trump said while calling the participants as warriors.
Shortly after taking the stage he said, "Republicans are the party of liberty, equality and justice for all.. We are the party of Abraham Lincoln and we are the party of law and order."
He also took a dig at his rival Joe Biden by saying, "Five months from now we're going to defeat Sleepy Joe Biden."
Biden doesn't know what state he's campaigning in, he added.
While attacking the anti-racism protesters, he said, "You saw these thugs that came along -- these people call them protesters." "Americans have watched left wing radicals burn down buildings, loot businesses, destroy private property, injure hundreds of dedicated police officers ... and injure thousands upon thousands of people only to hear the radical fake news say what a beautiful (protest) it was."
Referring to the recent incidents of tearing down of Confederate monuments, he blamed the Democrats for trying to "demolish our heritage" and replace it with their "oppressive regime."
He also defended his call to bring the National Guard on the protesters by saying that his administration has achieved "incredible success in rebuilding America" in stark contrast to "the extremism, and destruction, and violence of the radical left." He said that he sent in the National Guard after watching the protests in Minneapolis.
"I got them to take 8,000 national guardsmen and in one hour it all ended and they went through the next three weeks with no problem," Trump said while praising the federal government's effort to get the National Guard to Minneapolis, the city where George Floyd's death took place.
Trump said that the Washington state's handling of protesters' occupation of a section of Seattle, known as the "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone," was the result of "radical left" policy decisions.
"Now I may be wrong, but it's probably better for us to just watch that disaster," Trump said, adding that Republican members of Congress travelling with him to Tulsa advised him to "let it simmer for a little while."
"Let people see what radical left Democrats will do to our country," Trump added.
"The unhinged left-wing mob is trying to vandalize our history, desecrate our monuments, our beautiful monuments, tear down our statutes, and punish, cancel and persecute anyone who does not confirm their demands for absolute and total control. We're not conforming, " he said.
Trump further said, "This cruel campaign of censorship and exclusion violates everything we hold dear as Americans. They want to demolish our heritage so they can impose a new oppressive regime in its place."
"Tonight, we know leftist radicals in Portland, Oregon, ripped down a statue of George Washington, and wrapped it in an American flag, and set the American flag on fire. Democrats! All Democrats!" Trump told supporters gathered in the half-filled arena.
"And you know, we oughta do something, Mr. Senators, we have two great Senators, we oughta come up with legislation that if you burn the American flag, you go to jail for one year," the President said to Oklahoma Senators Jim Inhofe and James Lankford. "Jim and James, you know we oughta do it. You know, they talk about freedom of speech, and I believe in freedom of speech. But that's desecration."