“We had previously scheduled our #MAGA Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for June 19th — a big deal,” Trump tweeted. “Unfortunately, however, this would fall on the Juneteenth Holiday. Many of my African American friends and supporters have reached out to suggest that we consider changing the date out of respect for this Holiday, and in observance of this important occasion and all that it represents. I have therefore decided to move our rally to Saturday, June 20th, in order to honor their requests.”
Earlier Friday, Trump denied in an interview with Fox News that the rally was purposefully scheduled for that date in Tulsa and instead said it should be thought of as a “celebration.”
“It’s an interesting date. It wasn’t done for that reason, but it’s an interesting date,” he said.
The death of Floyd in police custody has renewed discussions about race in America, though Trump has not given a speech on race and has largely declined to acknowledge the concerns voiced by protesters.
This story has been updated with additional background information.
CNN’s Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.