TikTok users & K-pop fans claim credit for 'low turnout' at Trump rally; Trump denies

In a fresh development, Korean pop (K-pop) fans and TikTok users have claimed to be the reason behind the low attendance at US President Donald Trump's rally in Tulsa on Saturday, as per international news reports. These TikTok users and K-pop fans reportedly claimed to have registered thousands of tickets for Trump’s rally as a prank. The Trump campaign had tweeted on June 11 offering free tickets using their phones.

Trump's intended show of political force falls short of mark

TikTok users and K-pop fans claim credit for low attendance

As per reports, 51-year-old Mary Jo Laupp - a TikTok user, urged people to use their phones and register for the rally and then not show up. Laupp was furious that Trump had earlier chosen Juneteenth (19 June) - the day slavery was ended in America and Tulsa as the venue as it had witnessed 'massacre of African-Americans'. The video had more than 700,000 likes, more than two million views. 

“I recommend all of those of us that want to see this 19,000-seat auditorium barely filled or completely empty go reserve tickets now, and leave him standing there alone on the stage,” Ms. Laupp said in the video.

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Trump campaign blames protestors

Trump's campaign manager Brad Parscale claimed that people protesting outside the venue - against police brutality were the reason behind low turnout and the COVID-19 pandemic. Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter to give a 'shout out' to all TikTok users and K-pop fans for 'pranking' Trump's rally. Parscale has also released an issue stating that the campaign had verified the phone numbers and that there was no 'ticket hacking' by social media users. 

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America's George Floyd protest

Currently, several major cities in the US are witnessing wide protests against police brutality after an African-American man George Floyd was killed by a Minnesota police officer  Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes. Floyd had repeatedly said 'I can't breathe', but the police had not relented, resulting in Floyd's death. While the police officer has been charged second-degree murder in addition to the third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges,  the other three former officers who were involved in the incident - Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao - face charges of aiding and abetting murder.

Trump shows he can drink glass of water using just one arm; crowd goes wild in response

Trump had postponed his rally by a day after facing severe criticism for holding a rally on Juneteenth, amid wide-spread racial protests. Moreover, the CDC had advised against holding a massive rally indoors amid Coronavirus, fearing the spike in cases. Trump who has refused to wear a mask, also requested none of the attendees wear a mask and made attendees reportedly sign an undertaking to not sue the campaign incase of ill-health.