Did ‘Radical Dems’ Sue to Stop Trump’s Rally This Weekend?

No.

By
65

President Trump’s campaign claimed in posts on Twitter and on Facebook, which saw further promotion thanks to being shared by Trump himself, that “Radical Dems SUED to stop our Trump Rally Saturday.”

https://twitter.com/TeamTrump/status/1273258558180728834

The rally is scheduled to be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday, and the lawsuit the Trump campaign referred to in the social media posts was filed by two immunocompromised Tulsa residents; the Greenwood Centre, which, according to the suit “owns 60,000 square feet of storefront and office space in downtown Tulsa”; and the John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation, a nonprofit organization seeking to “transform the bitterness and mistrust caused by years of racial division, even violence, into a hopeful future of reconciliation and cooperation for Tulsa and the nation.” The lawsuit was filed against SMG and ASM Global Parent Inc., the operators of the rally venue. 

The plaintiffs allege in the suit that Trump’s Tulsa rally, as currently planned, has the potential to be a coronavirus “super spreader” event posing a danger  not just to the local community but to communities that attendees travel to after the rally. However, at no point in the suit did the plaintiffs ask for the rally to be stopped. Their petition explicitly says: “Plaintiffs do not seek an order barring the President from conducting a political rally in Tulsa on June 20th or any other day.” 

Rather, the suit says the plaintiffs “merely seek a court order requiring ASM Global to institute appropriate social distancing protocols for the June 20th event, including the mandatory use of face-masks and social distancing rules for all guests and employees, as recommended by state, local, and federal authorities, and by every credible and qualified expert who has studied this issue.” On Tuesday, a judge denied the plaintiffs’ request.

Keep reading with a free account
Create a free Dispatch account to keep reading Get Started ALREADY HAVE AN ACCOUNT? SIGN IN
65
By
Comments (65)
Join The Dispatch to participate in the comments.
 
  1. Benjamin Jensen

    Good Sir, what's the truth on Trump's use of a supposed Nazi symbol?

    Collapse
  2. Avatar photo
    Victor Clairmont

    Thanks for the fact cheeeeecks! Keep’ me coming.

    Collapse
  3. Avatar photo
    Jeanie

    If I didn't know better I would say these rallies are a play right out of the Dems handbook. Get Trump supporters to a crowded hall without face masks in cities that are spiking and then let the media replay soundbites of Trump spewing hatred and division like he usually does at his rallies. Biden just sits home and watches as Trump continue to shoot himself in the foot and his fans catch the virus he says is a hoax. The election problem takes care of itself.

    Collapse
  4. Avatar photo
    Alex Mudd

    Shouldn't Democrats be excited about this? You know it's going to be headline news if a bunch of attendees get coronavirus at this thing. Seems like a great opportunity for Dems to wag their self-righteous fingers at those science-hating Republicans and talk about how Trump doesn't care about the health and safety of his own base.

    Collapse
    1. Avatar photo
      SusanC

      Many, many people have well-loved friends and family members who are a mixed bag of Republicans and Democrats; not everyone sits in a partisan bubble.

      Collapse
    2. Avatar photo
      rlritt

      And what's to prevent those people from going out and infecting others.

      Collapse
    3. Avatar photo
      Victor Clairmont

      Bro, no one should be excited people get corona and die. Pray that it doesn’t happen even if this stupidly goes on. They are still are American brothers and sisters. If this is sarcasm, still, bro, come on.

      Collapse
      1. Avatar photo
        Alex Mudd

        I never implied I was "excited people get corona and die," bro. My point is any cases linked to this rally will be used as ammunition against Trump. There are plenty of people on both sides of the isle capable of leveraging someone else's misfortune for political gain.

        Collapse
        1. Avatar photo
          Victor Clairmont

          Then probably you shouldn't start with, "Shouldn't Democrats be excited about this?". And "Wag their self righteous finger". There are democrats here as well as republicans, lets not go down into the mud slinging whole that everyone else loves to do these days.

          Collapse
    4. James D

      It's a sign of the partisan derangement of our times that people would think Democrats would be happy to see hundreds of Americans die. Nobody wants this virus to spread further, even if you think people who refuse to wear masks are acting sociopathically, as I do.

      Collapse
      1. Avatar photo
        Alex Mudd

        There's a difference between being happy to see people get sick and taking full advantage of an opportunity to advertise your moral superiority. No one will celebrate cases that are linked to the rally but if there are superspreaders there it will be used as a cudgel against Trump.

        Collapse
        1. Frank Pepp

          There are already a thousand moral cudgels to use against Trump.

          The reaction from those not in the Trump bubble at this point is simply another facepalm, another prayer. And then supporting those who are creating the best counter narratives to end this horror show.

          Republicans consistently win the narrative game, if in a very divisive manner. Specifically, Democrats are Communist, baby killers, full of white guilt who support riots, supported by rich radicals who don't share American values. And those are just from National Review today. It's amazing how many working class whites that message can win over through talk radio, Fox News, and Facebook.

          How do we persuade without going to that level? Is the narrative you painted effective?

          I'd like to see narratives that both defeat Trump in a landslide and bring us back together.

          Collapse
    5. Avatar photo
      Rajeev

      From the beginning of the virus, the Democrats have embraced taking the preventative measures to the max. I guess one could argue they were in some cases too restrictive; however, when it comes to masks it's been the president that has made the issue divisive. I don't think many Democrats want anyone to get infected with the virus especially given that the more people that contract the virus, the more people they will in turn spread the virus to. This rally shouldn't be a political issue. Tulsa is a terrible location to hold the rally given the state's current trajectory.

      It's not about being self-righteous. Competent Republicans across the board especially governors understand that any larger event should be outside and participants should wear masks. I haven't personally been to any of the legitimate George Floyd protests but virtually every picture I see has the majority of the crowd wearing masks and all the protests are outdoors. As far as I'm concerned if someone attends this rally without a mask they are maximizing their risk to this virus and then have a decent chance of transmitting the virus post-rally to everyday people who just want to work and stay safe.

      Collapse
      1. Avatar photo
        Alex Mudd

        Right.

        When you say Democrats (all roughly 102 million of them I assume) have embraced preventative measures, single out competent Republicans (implying there are plenty of incompetent Republicans) and suggest the vast majority of George Floyd protesters are masked (i.e. not a COVID risk like those Trump rally goers probably will be), you're essentially proving my point. That's exactly the kind of self-righteous finger wagging this rally is inspiring, and I do think a lot of people on the left enjoy that sense of superiority. Ergo I'm surprised Democrats would want to turn off that sense of superiority faucet.

        You did take it the extra step I missed though, with the, "transmitting the virus post-rally to everyday people who just want to work and stay safe." Some Democrats will use this as justification to further vilify Trump and his supporters.

        Collapse
        1. Avatar photo
          Rajeev

          I was referring to the Democrats in power that have in general erred on the side of caution. I think there is plenty of criticism to go around but on the whole governors for the most part have done their best to balance a very difficult situation. But some of the states that have contained the spread the best have Republican governors that have been very upfront to their citizens about the dangers the coronavirus presents.

          As to the "self-righteous finger wagging", I am unsure of your point. I merely made a point that the George Floyd protests have been virtually entirely outside and that masks have been prevalent at the protests. Personally I think they are still dangerous to others with spreading the virus so I don't support them for that reason. But it was simply an observation not a judgement.

          Where I do make a judgement is in regards to what David French perfectly refers to as the performative art in the worst way of Trump supporters that are pretending the virus isn't a danger and purposely avoiding social distancing regulations. Reasonable minds can agree whether we should have shut down sooner, shut down in a more targeted fashion, or not shut down at all. However, no one in this current climate can make a rational case as to why we should have a non socially distant indoor 10-20 thousand person political rally. Combine that with the fact that Tulsa and Oklahoma are in the middle of a significant spread of the virus and it is the perfect storm. Even yesterday Trump said the virus will go away on its own. It is clear that he is trying to pretend it isn't around and abdicating his responsibility to minimize the damage from it.

          There is a reason that we haven't seen any packed indoor gatherings in the US since the beginning of March. If professional sports teams, corporations, convention planners, musicians, and everyone else are not holding them then it is obvious why. I'm not afraid of the virus personally but I wouldn't go to a concert or packed stadium event because I do not think it is justifiable for me to run the risk of passing the virus to someone else.

          Collapse
  5. Avatar photo
    Philbnichols

    Woop! Woop! First time I get to call "Foul!" on Dispatch Fact Check! The verdict here should have been a qualified 'No', not the unqualified 'No'. I think you'd have to be pretty naive to believe the plaintiffs, in suing for a political rally to be made to adhere to mask-wearing and social distancing, didn't really have the end in mind to cancel, or at best to postpone, the rally.
    We are in the middle of June, not the middle of April, and while we need to remember that the Coronavirus could rebound, we also need to be slowly returning to normalcy.

    Collapse
    1. James D

      I wish somebody in local government had the gumption to cancel this rally! POTUS is demonstrating an almost sociopathic lack of concern for the lives of American voters over his reelection by holding these rallies. The problem with stating that we're in the middle of June and not the middle of April is that the middle of June is *much worse* for many states than the middle of April. Here in the Northeast, the virus has been mostly crushed down to the same low levels you see in the EU and is still trending downwards, with significant buy-in to social distancing/mask wearing and overall adherence to the phased reopening recommended by the CDC.

      Meanwhile, in states which jumped the gun and disregarded the CDC's counsel to reopen as soon as possible, we see rapidly-expanding outbreaks which are eventually going to necessitate a partial or total shutdown in much of those states if not immediately brought under control. We know this virus spreads best through continued close contact in indoor spaces, which are fertile ground for super-spreading events. You literally could not concoct a better environment than a gathering of tens of thousands of folks shoulder-to-shoulder indoors for 4-5+ hours. What's worse, you KNOW that none of them will be wearing masks, because POTUS has chosen to make a common-sense health measure a political football.

      These rallies are fundamentally unserious, downright criminal, and a perfect example of exactly the kind of behavior that's making the US a global laughingstock during this crisis. AZ is on track to top out its hospital capacity and POTUS is going to hold a rally with thousands of unmasked people crowded into an auditorium? What the hell is he thinking?

      Collapse
      1. Avatar photo
        Kevin Durant?

        “I wish somebody in local government had the gumption to cancel this rally!”
        —————————-
        Yeah Tulsa needs to elect more intellectually bankrupt hypocrite hacks

        Collapse
  6. Avatar photo
    Visibly

    The best choice for Trump would be to move it outdoors, and recommend face masks. The fact that he is not using a face masks could be argued that he is among the priviledged ones, with few people coming close, and among those, they are tested.
    I very much disagree with Trump, but he could make it so much easier for himself.

    Collapse
    1. Don Harban

      I suppose I would not be so utterly angry about the bunch of rednecks failing to abide by the recommended measures except they are INTENTIONALLY flaunting the recommendations and making it clear that those of us who don't are "snowflakes" -- their word, not mine. And their leader is encouraging this.

      Collapse
  7. Avatar photo
    Kevin Durant?

    I’m actually curious what the line is here. I know it’s totally arbitrary but I’d like a ballpark if possible

    They sued to reduce the rally to 5,000 from 20,000. So that isn’t suing to stop the rally. So Trump’s a liar. Fact

    Hmmm. Okay

    What if they sued to make it 500? Would Trump still be a liar? Technically. What if they sued to make it 50? What if they sued to make it a Zoom video rally where Trump wears a hazmat suit? Is Trump still lying? Technically

    What if they sued to make it Trump, the Secret Service, and one guy. It’s technically still not cancelled

    I guess I’m wondering how extreme the technicality has to be before we are allowed to stop calling the painfully obvious fact, that we all understand, a lie

    Actually curious and taking all responses. Cheers!!
    😃😃😃

    (Trump lies enough that you actually CAN accurately portray him as a ‘liar’. That’s why it’s stupid the say he’s lying when he isn’t)

    (Yes I know it was Team Trump. I’m sure they tell *actual* lies with great frequency as well)

    Collapse
  8. Avatar photo
    Kevin Durant?

    Greenwood Centre, which, according to the suit "owns 60,000 square feet of storefront and office space in downtown Tulsa
    —————————————
    Good thing they didn’t sue to enforce distancing during the protests

    They would have 60,000 square feet of flaming wreckage

    Collapse
  9. Avatar photo
    Ray Salemi

    I predicted in March that Trump would kill a lot of his followers with rallies. But, I was wrong in that I thought he’d be holding rallies into April rather than realizing he could do the same thing on the other side of the lockdown in June.

    Collapse
    1. Avatar photo
      Victor Clairmont

      It’s just a hot mess Ray. People distrust the government, (rightfully) the science (more so wrongly), their neighbors, etc.

      I can only hope that magically, somehow, people won’t get it or if they do they are not seriously hurt. Maybe all Trumps supports are magically asymptotic? I just throw my hands up in futility on this issue.

      Collapse
    2. Avatar photo
      Kevin Durant?

      The other side of the lockdown is not June. We are going to be badgered about this on a partisan basis by idiots and liars for the foreseeable future

      My prediction is that this event will be credited with 1,000 deaths, and less than 10 COVID deaths will be attributed to the nationwide protests. It could be zero for the protests. I have yet to see a story about someone dying from weeks of millions of of people crammed together

      (this prediction is about the media coverage and not the actual deaths which are unknowable)

      Collapse
      1. Avatar photo
        Idontdocute

        You will have to wait into July to see the uptick from the protests. It isn’t going to be the protestors, it will be the vulnerable ones in contact with the protestors. Death takes time.

        Collapse
        1. Avatar photo
          Kevin Durant?

          Peak protesting was June 1-3. It’s the 18th. Please stop. We both know this is dumb

          If you want to troll me with mystery disease BS just say the incubation before the mass deaths is 138 days because that’s when the election is and that is all you are doing

          I only respect quality trolling
          😂😂😂 JK

          Collapse
          1. Avatar photo
            Idontdocute

            Surely you can wait 3 more weeks before you can start recalculating your predictions of demise, but remember to account for a number of nursing homes have started to allow visitors in about the same time frame or a little later. No need for sniffy fits to try to support creative math skills, although I am impressed that you bothered to count that out.

            Now, if you mean covid virus + flu virus + increased time spent indoors + presidential elections, then yeah, this should be interesting but I have strong faith that you will make the best of it (thumbs up emoji).

            Does the period come before the emoji or after the emoji? Asking for a friend.

            Collapse
      2. Avatar photo
        Ray Salemi

        There is a difference between the protests and a rally. The rally is indoors and Trump is somehow distributing tickets.

        No Trump. No rally.

        Protests have been spontaneous in that nobody is selling tickets. Also they are outdoors.

        Collapse
        1. Avatar photo
          Kevin Durant?

          “You’re racist if you don’t take the subway to Chinatown”

          *9 seconds

          “Your stylist is going to murder my grandma”

          *4 seconds

          “Having millions of dirty hippies screaming in each other's faces all day for two weeks and then getting back on the bus to go to their apartments is actually pretty safe.”

          *1 second

          “This rally with 1/1000th as many people as the month long nationwide hippie rallies is dangerous because there is a roof 200 ft above them for 90 minutes.”

          *0.001 seconds

          “Outdoor sports are still cancelled.”

          I joke a lot but I think we have reached the point with this idiotic bulls*** where I feel truly genuine disgust

          Collapse
          1. Avatar photo
            Kevin Durant?

            (above is mainly directed at CNN, which I may finally need to stop watching, and not Ray who is terrific and just likes to argue 😃😃)

            Collapse
        2. Avatar photo
          cheerio

          at least until they are corralled inside holding cells in police depts.

          Collapse
  10. Avatar photo
    Earl King

    I must admit I don't remember a similar lawsuit over holding protests were there was no social distancing.....Of course it was done to stop the event. To early for me to do the math but 6 feet in all four directions would seem to eliminate at least 8 seats for each single attendee. The campaign wouldn't agree to that....Why Fact Check couldn't figure that out confirms the lack of math skills in modern day journalists.

    Collapse
    1. Avatar photo
      rlritt

      How the heck do you sue a protest?

      Collapse
    2. Avatar photo
      Ray Salemi

      I don’t get your point. The question was whether the lawsuit tried to stop the rally, not whether social distancing was feasible for the campaign to implement.

      Collapse
      1. Avatar photo
        Earl King

        If the lawsuit was successful the campaign wouldn't likely hold an event in a 19,000 seat stadium with only 3 or 4 thousand people. You really think it wasn't political? That be most unusual in this hyper partisan atmosphere.

        Collapse
        1. Don Harban

          For many of us who actually live in Tulsa (and used to be Republicans) the suit is far less political than it is practical. Oklahoma, through the circumstances of it being in Flyover country and a serious and timely effort by its citizens to "flatten the curve" has enjoyed a relatively good outcome -- so far. It WAS in the bottom five or six states in terms of the rate of infections diagnosed. Recently, the daily rate of new infections has increased VERY sharply ( by well over 100 percent while testing has actually declined relative to diagnosed cases). We are now seeing the daily rate of new infections substantially exceeding the highest rates observed during the lockdown. We had reached the point where we could actually see our children and grandchildren. Now, we have no idea when we will see them again. Maybe it's political to you. It is personal and practical to many of us.

          Collapse
          1. VcL

            Two time cancer survivor here with a seriously compromised immune system. Haven't left the house since March 14th, except to drop off/pick up pups from the vet (they retrieve them from your car, vet examines them/calls to discuss, they bring them back, and you pay by phone).

            I agree with with Don. I MIGHT venture out if I could count on my fellow citizens to care enough about others to wear masks, but where I live (also flyover country) about 60% don't bother. I can't understand it -- these are the same people who courteously hold open doors, give up their seats to the elderly, and exhibit all around common decency. Why is wearing masks so different? I am blessed to have a job that supports full-time telework, but if I didn't, I would have to choose between protecting my health and supporting myself and my family. Politics have blinded people to the very real consequences of their actions on others.

            Collapse
          2. Avatar photo
            Earl King

            Again thank you for your comment. But the practicality of social distancing in an arena would likely kill the event. Therefore it was political. If the suit had come from the Governors office I might feel differently...That said there were no concerns about protestors not socially distancing...so I find the whole thing hypocritical.
            I would encourage everyone to continue to social distance and I would not attend. As a Paramedic in NJ....I have seen enough....I still continue to pull out Covid-19 cases from 55 plus communities and Nursing Homes....If you are vulnerable...stay home. I've driving thru OK several times....The event should be held outdoors....put up big screens.....there is plenty of room. My god the panhandle alone could hide NYC.

            Collapse
        2. Avatar photo
          Ray Salemi

          The fact check wasn't about whether it was political. The fact check was about whether the suit asked that the event be cancelled.

          You can add what you like, but your criticism of the fact check is unfair.

          Collapse
          1. Avatar photo
            Kevin Durant?

            Hey Ray, I’m not suing you to delete your comment. I’m just you suing to delete 5/6ths of the letters in it
            😂😂😂

            Collapse
          2. Avatar photo
            Earl King

            I disagree. But thank you for your comment.

            Collapse