McEnany says Juneteenth is a very ‘meaningful’ day to Trump

by Marty Johnson - 06/11/20 5:00 PM ET

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Thursday defended President Trump’s decision to restart his campaign rallies next week in Tulsa, Okla., on Juneteenth, calling the holiday marking the emancipation of slaves very “meaningful” for him.

The president is slated to restart in-person rallies on June 19 after the coronavirus pandemic kept him from physically campaigning for more than three months.

“The African American community is very near and dear to his heart,” McEnany told reporters, after being asked if it was appropriate for the president to be holding such a rally on Juneteenth. “At these rallies he often shares the great work he has done for minority communities.”

Question: “Is it appropriate for him to be holding a rally on Juneteenth?”

Kayleigh McEnany: “Look, President Trump is — the African American community is very near and dear to his heart.” pic.twitter.com/jvQKrVh69E

— The Hill (@thehill) June 11, 2020

She also cited the president’s work on prison reform and told the press that he was responsible for the “lowest African American unemployment numbers.”

Trump’s decision to hold a rally on Juneteenth has drawn ire from his critics, who have pointed not only to the significance of the day to black Americans, but to Tulsa’s dark, racist history.

On May 31 and June 1, 1921, the city’s Greenwood District — its main African American community — was attacked and looted by white rioters, leading to multiple deaths and the mass internment of the city’s black population.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) blasted Trump for the scheduled rally on Twitter earlier Thursday:

This isn’t just a wink to white supremacists—he’s throwing them a welcome home party. https://t.co/lUXpnUoFQU

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 11, 2020

Trump has been accused of racism at multiple points during his presidency, a record that has resurfaced amid his handling of nationwide protests and unrest following the police killing of George Floyd on May 25.

On Wednesday, Trump received criticism after he said that he wouldn’t change the name of Army bases that bear the names of military leaders who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War.

McEnany, however, said that Trump is “working on rectifying injustices, injustices that go back to the very beginning of this country’s history.”

“It’s a meaningful day to him,” she said, referring to Juneteenth. “It’s a day where he wants to share some of the progress that’s been made as we look forward at more that needs to be done, especially as we’re looking at this police reform.”

Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), the only black Republican in the Senate, announced Thursday that he would introduce a GOP police reform bill next week after Democrats unveiled their own police reform legislation on Monday.