Trump reschedules major campaign rally out of respect for Juneteenth

President Trump on Friday announced that his campaign would be rescheduling its first post-COVID-19 rally out of respect for the slave liberation holiday Juneteenth, on which the event was originally scheduled to fall. 

Juneteenth, observed on June 19 every year, marks the date in 1865 on which Union Major General Gordon Granger proclaimed the freedom of all slaves in the state of Texas. The holiday has been celebrated every year since then. 

The Trump campaign was originally scheduled to hold the rally on that date, but a backlash over the event's timing — with critics pointing to the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests throughout the country — caused the president to move the rally. 

"We had previously scheduled our #MAGA Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for June 19th — a big deal," he wrote on Twitter. "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," he continued, "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."

The president added that his campaign has "already had ticket requests in excess of 200,000 people."

"I look forward to seeing everyone in Oklahoma!" he wrote.