President Trump tweeted Friday that "protesters, anarchists, agitators, looters or lowlifes" who show up at his Tulsa rally this weekend "will not be treated like you have been in New York, Seattle or Minneapolis," promising "a much different scene."
Why it matters: The right to peaceably assemble is guaranteed in the First Amendment, and Trump himself has claimed to be "an ally of all peaceful protesters."
- Tulsa has implemented a curfew for the areas surrounding the rally site both before and after it is held.
- The city's order said that "individuals from organized groups who have been involved in destructive or violent behavior in other states are planning to travel to the city of Tulsa for purposes of causing unrest in and around the rally."
The big picture: Earlier this month, Trump tweeted a baseless conspiracy theory that a 75-year-old protester in Buffalo who was hospitalized after being shoved by police "could be an ANTIFA provocateur."
- That missive left the president's aides despondent — even when many rarely register the president's tweets anymore.
