The political situation, across the Atlantic, does not seem pleasant for the Republican president, who, in addition to the difficulties in stemming the epidemic of coronavirus, must face the anger of the movement "Black Lives Matter" which took an unprecedented scale in following the death of George Floyd. If we add to that polls that clearly turn to the advantage of his democratic rival, Joe Biden, nothing seems to be going for Donald Trump.
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It is in this context that the tenant of the White House, who is aiming for his re-election during the elections on November 3, launches his campaign this Saturday and tries to revive himself by organizing his first meeting in the era of the coronavirus. For the American president, it is a kind of political deconfinement: he should be able to find in front of tens of thousands of people the platforms that he loves. “ My campaign has not yet started. It starts Saturday evening in Oklahoma, "Donald Trump announced on Twitter.
The “Day 0” of this campaign may not be easy. Between " Trumpists " and anti-racist protesters, up to 100,000 people are expected in Tulsa, in this conservative state in the southern United States. And the tension weighs on the city, where we fear the overflows around this moment marked by a triple controversy.
Trump in a hijacked poster of the film "Rambo". GORAN TOMASEVIC / REUTERS
The first is sanitary. Organizing a meeting means taking the risk of accelerating the spread of the virus when Oklahoma is experiencing a surge in detected cases. The United States has lived for several weeks at the pace of the demonstrations, which is not good either for the spread of the epidemic, but a difficulty is added here: it is not a gathering in open air, but a meeting in a covered room, the BOK Center, where about 20,000 people will crowd. However, the virus does better in closed environments. The organizers will take the temperature of the participants and distribute disinfectant gel and masks. It might not be enough, according to the White House infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, who was clear: would he attend such an event? " Of course not ."
The second controversy is memorial. As opinions polarize more and more violently in the United States on the question of "racial" violence, Donald Trump first chose for his first meeting the date of Friday, June 19, date of the "Juneteenth" commemorating the emancipation of the last slaves in the United States. Like every year on this day, rallies were held Friday across the country, but this year takes on a special dimension, given the context the country has experienced since the death of George Floyd.
Meetings in Tulsa Friday for the "Juneteenth". BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP
A concomitance of dates between the "Juneteenth" and the meeting of Donald Trump which is a " real slap ", according to the local leader of the movement "Black Lives Matter". Taken under fire from critics from the opposition, Donald Trump finally decided to postpone his meeting for a day this Saturday. But the place is also not consensus because the city of Tulsa was the site of the massacre of up to 300 African-Americans by a white crowd, in 1921. Again, the opposition cries out to provocation.
The third controversy is security. The reversals around a curfew decreed then canceled by the republican mayor of the city added to the controversy. To justify the decision to impose it, the mayor GT Bynum had however stressed having received information according to which individuals linked to groups " implied in a violent and destructive attitude " planned to " cause disturbances ". President Trump had also threatened " demonstrators, anarchists, agitators, looters and thugs who go to Oklahoma ".
Communion with its base
On the spot, the supporters of the American president are extremely motivated and not very sensitive to these controversies. Talking about proximity to the "Juneteenth," Tammy Willard, a family hairdresser from Wichita, in neighboring Arkansas, for the meeting, told AFP that Donald Trump " moved the date out of respect for them and they are not grateful ”. " How is it that they did not complain about the protests, the riots and the funeral of George Floyd?" ", Adds this disabled woman of 52 years, arrived Wednesday, this time to respond to criticism of health risks.
For Trump the tribune, big meetings are a breath of fresh air. A comforting moment of communion with its base, whose loyalty constitutes an electoral safety net. Claiming that a million people had requested tickets, Donald Trump said that around 40,000 could also attend the meeting in a nearby convention hall.
A bust of Donald Trump in Tulsa. WIN MCNAMEE / AFP
Participants will need to sign a document saying they will waive any lawsuit if they ever catch the virus over the weekend. Stephen Corley, 19, said he was more worried about the protests of " extremist leftists " and other " rioters " than the Covid-19. He will however wear a mask during the meeting if he is given one " and it is compulsory ". " I'm not going to pass up the chance of my life (...) to see Trump by refusing to wear a mask," he explains.
For the American president, this launching of campaign is a challenge of size because it is given loser in all the polls vis-a-vis the democratic candidate, Joe Biden. Despite his campaign muted by containment, the former vice president of Barack Obama, 77, has even recently taken off, far ahead of his 74-year-old opponent. A Reuters-Ipsos poll even gives a difference of 13 points between the two candidates. More generally, the aggregator of surveys RealClearPolitics estimates meanwhile the difference at 8.8 points, with 50.1% for Biden and 41.3% for Trump.
Read also: Our report in Minneapolis, in the epicenter of the riots that ignite the United States
Denouncing the management of the health crisis by his opponent, Joe Biden does not fail to recall that he strictly follows the instructions of the health authorities. He has also not organized a meeting since early March. Which earned him the mockery of the president who accused " Joe the sleeping ", as he calls him, of hiding because he would lack energy.
Small sentences that recall the tone of the 2016 campaign when Donald Trump, then unexpected candidate, had created surprise by imposing himself with his vindictive and assumed style. It remains to be seen whether the same formula will work in 2020: this time, the president does not have the status of outsider, but of challenger.