SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally at the Van Andel Arena on March 28, 2019 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Bernie Sanders Says Beyond Belief That 'Extraordinary Narcissist' Trump Would Sacrifice Lives to Hold Tulsa Rally
"The leader of the United States government is defying science in order to hear cheers from his supporters," said the Senator from Vermont.
Jun 17, 2020
On Monday, the largest newspaper in Tulsa, Oklahoma declared in an editorial that President Donald Trump is "not welcome" to hold a campaign rally in the city set for this weekend.
On Tuesday, a local judge denied an effort by city officials, businesses, and non-profits in Tulsa to force the president to enforce social distancing and other safety protocols if the event was, in fact, held.
Meanwhile, public health officials have warned the crowding approximately 19,000 people into the indoor BOK Center arena represents an "extraordinarily dangerous" risk to both attendees and others in the community due to the chance of Covid-19 spread. Even Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the Trump adminstration, said this week that he would not attend such a rally. "Of course not," Fauci told The Daily Beast.
But as Trump has vowed to go through with the event regardless of the numerous objections, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday told the Associated Press in an interview that it was beyond belief that the Republican president would do such a thing.
"I find it literally incomprehensible that the president, who is an extraordinary narcissist, is willing to sacrifice the health not only of the people who attend his indoor rally, but those people who come into contact with the people who attend the indoor rally," Sanders told the AP.
"You have public officials in Oklahoma begging him not to do this rally,' Sanders added. "It is in defiance of what science is telling us is appropriate. And the leader of the United States government is defying science in order to hear cheers from his supporters. It is incredibly irresponsible."
As the AP notes, even Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt suggested that Trump move the rally to an outside venue with more space for distancing, but was rebuffed.
"As in any event you assume a personal risk. That is just what you do," said White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday. "When you go to a baseball game, you assume a risk. That's part of life. It's a personal decision of Americans as to whether to go to the rally or whether not to go to the rally."
Last weekend, Leanne Stephens, a spokesperson for the Tulsa Department of Health, explained to Forbes that the chief concern was "about the safety of any large gathering of people in enclosed spaces where social distancing is difficult to maintain." And the department's director made his position clear: "I wish we could postpone this."
And as the Tulsa World editorial begging Trump not to come put it on Monday, "Tulsa is still dealing with the challenges created by a pandemic. The city and state have authorized reopening, but that doesn't make a mass indoor gathering of people pressed closely together and cheering a good idea."
"We don't know why he chose Tulsa," the editorial stated, "but we can't see any way that his visit will be good for the city."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
On Monday, the largest newspaper in Tulsa, Oklahoma declared in an editorial that President Donald Trump is "not welcome" to hold a campaign rally in the city set for this weekend.
On Tuesday, a local judge denied an effort by city officials, businesses, and non-profits in Tulsa to force the president to enforce social distancing and other safety protocols if the event was, in fact, held.
Meanwhile, public health officials have warned the crowding approximately 19,000 people into the indoor BOK Center arena represents an "extraordinarily dangerous" risk to both attendees and others in the community due to the chance of Covid-19 spread. Even Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the Trump adminstration, said this week that he would not attend such a rally. "Of course not," Fauci told The Daily Beast.
But as Trump has vowed to go through with the event regardless of the numerous objections, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday told the Associated Press in an interview that it was beyond belief that the Republican president would do such a thing.
"I find it literally incomprehensible that the president, who is an extraordinary narcissist, is willing to sacrifice the health not only of the people who attend his indoor rally, but those people who come into contact with the people who attend the indoor rally," Sanders told the AP.
"You have public officials in Oklahoma begging him not to do this rally,' Sanders added. "It is in defiance of what science is telling us is appropriate. And the leader of the United States government is defying science in order to hear cheers from his supporters. It is incredibly irresponsible."
As the AP notes, even Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt suggested that Trump move the rally to an outside venue with more space for distancing, but was rebuffed.
"As in any event you assume a personal risk. That is just what you do," said White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday. "When you go to a baseball game, you assume a risk. That's part of life. It's a personal decision of Americans as to whether to go to the rally or whether not to go to the rally."
Last weekend, Leanne Stephens, a spokesperson for the Tulsa Department of Health, explained to Forbes that the chief concern was "about the safety of any large gathering of people in enclosed spaces where social distancing is difficult to maintain." And the department's director made his position clear: "I wish we could postpone this."
And as the Tulsa World editorial begging Trump not to come put it on Monday, "Tulsa is still dealing with the challenges created by a pandemic. The city and state have authorized reopening, but that doesn't make a mass indoor gathering of people pressed closely together and cheering a good idea."
"We don't know why he chose Tulsa," the editorial stated, "but we can't see any way that his visit will be good for the city."
On Monday, the largest newspaper in Tulsa, Oklahoma declared in an editorial that President Donald Trump is "not welcome" to hold a campaign rally in the city set for this weekend.
On Tuesday, a local judge denied an effort by city officials, businesses, and non-profits in Tulsa to force the president to enforce social distancing and other safety protocols if the event was, in fact, held.
Meanwhile, public health officials have warned the crowding approximately 19,000 people into the indoor BOK Center arena represents an "extraordinarily dangerous" risk to both attendees and others in the community due to the chance of Covid-19 spread. Even Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in the Trump adminstration, said this week that he would not attend such a rally. "Of course not," Fauci told The Daily Beast.
But as Trump has vowed to go through with the event regardless of the numerous objections, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday told the Associated Press in an interview that it was beyond belief that the Republican president would do such a thing.
"I find it literally incomprehensible that the president, who is an extraordinary narcissist, is willing to sacrifice the health not only of the people who attend his indoor rally, but those people who come into contact with the people who attend the indoor rally," Sanders told the AP.
"You have public officials in Oklahoma begging him not to do this rally,' Sanders added. "It is in defiance of what science is telling us is appropriate. And the leader of the United States government is defying science in order to hear cheers from his supporters. It is incredibly irresponsible."
As the AP notes, even Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt suggested that Trump move the rally to an outside venue with more space for distancing, but was rebuffed.
"As in any event you assume a personal risk. That is just what you do," said White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday. "When you go to a baseball game, you assume a risk. That's part of life. It's a personal decision of Americans as to whether to go to the rally or whether not to go to the rally."
Last weekend, Leanne Stephens, a spokesperson for the Tulsa Department of Health, explained to Forbes that the chief concern was "about the safety of any large gathering of people in enclosed spaces where social distancing is difficult to maintain." And the department's director made his position clear: "I wish we could postpone this."
And as the Tulsa World editorial begging Trump not to come put it on Monday, "Tulsa is still dealing with the challenges created by a pandemic. The city and state have authorized reopening, but that doesn't make a mass indoor gathering of people pressed closely together and cheering a good idea."
"We don't know why he chose Tulsa," the editorial stated, "but we can't see any way that his visit will be good for the city."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.