Tulsa mayor voices concerns about Trump rally but says he won’t attempt to block it

Tulsa, Okla., Mayor G.T. Bynum (R) on Tuesday voiced concerns about President Trump holding a rally in the city later this week as the country continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.

In an expansive statement shared on Facebook, Bynum stressed that the event was not his idea and that he learned about it only when officials from the rally venue contacted the city regarding police support. But Bynum noted that despite his fears, he would not attempt to use the local civil emergency authority to block the event.

“Do I share anxiety about having a full house at the BOK Center? Of course,” he said. “As someone who is cautious by nature, I don’t like to be the first to try anything. I would have loved some other city to have proven the safety of such an event already.”

The comments arrived as Trump prepares to hold his first campaign rally in more than three months at the BOK Center in Tulsa, an arena with an audience capacity of about 19,000 people. The rally is expected to take place on Saturday, even as some states, including Oklahoma, experience an uptick in daily cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. 

In anticipation of the event, some state and local officials have called on Trump’s campaign to consider postponing or relocating the event. Pointing to a recent surge in cases, Tulsa City-County Health Department Director Bruce Dart said Sunday that a packed indoor rally would produce a “huge risk” for the region. 

“I’m concerned about our ability to protect anyone who attends a large, indoor event, and I’m also concerned about our ability to ensure the president stays safe as well,” he said, adding that he wished the president would postpone the event. 

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) also told reporters on Monday that he had asked the Trump campaign to consider moving the rally to a venue outside to safely accommodate more guests. 

Vice President Pence said Tuesday that the campaign is considering “outside activities” and a different venue for the upcoming rally. A campaign official told The Hill that the event will still take place inside the BOK Center but said the campaign is also looking into other areas adjacent to the arena that would allow Trump to “address even more people.” 

Bynum said that the Trump campaign will follow state health guidelines during the event, which will include administering temperature checks to every attendee entering the BOK Center.

Tulsa has been following Oklahoma’s reopening process since May 1. Bynum noted that hundreds of thousands of state residents have returned to work in buildings with modified health restrictions. He also said that as of Tuesday, the city’s hospital capacity remained “strong.”

“We are navigating a balance between freedom and safety that is new for every city around the world,” he said. “We will continue to monitor hospital capacity and our positive case rate moving forward.”

The Trump campaign has included a disclaimer about the coronavirus on the sign-up page for its Tulsa rally. The note said that those registering to attend do so while acknowledging that “an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19” exists at public gatherings. Registered attendees must also agree not to sue the campaign or the host venue if they contract the virus.