The original scheduling of the rally on June 19 was considered insensitive as it is a day of celebration honoring the emancipation of African Americans, and Tulsa was the site of a race massacre in 1921.

President Trump and other campaign officials alleged that disruptions by "radical" protesters and negative coverage of the rally by news outlets had deterred attendance, although the former claim was disputed by CNN reporters on-scene.

[8] Trump's campaign director Tim Murtaugh told Fox News that there were plans for safety protocols, but that "I would point out to the national media that I don't remember them doing any social distancing shaming when they were doing all the coverage of the [George Floyd] demonstrations that were going on.

"[3] Attendees were required to accept a liability waiver, agreeing to not hold the Trump campaign liable for any exposure to COVID-19 that may occur at the rally, citing it as an inherent risk in any public gathering at this time.

[15][8] In a Q&A, Governor Stitt stated that he was exploring a switch to an outdoor venue, but that the event was currently planned to go on at BOK Center as scheduled, and that it was up to individuals (unless immunocompromised) to choose whether they want to attend because they live in a "free society", but that "we have to learn how to deal with this.

"[8] On June 18, by request of the chief of police, a curfew was implemented around the site of BOK Center, citing that "individuals from organized groups who have been involved in destructive and violent behavior in other States are planning to travel to the City of Tulsa for purposes of causing unrest in and around the rally.

[18] A lawsuit was filed against BOK Center's management on behalf of businesses and immunocompromised plaintiffs, seeking that it enforce "government mandated social distancing protocols, including the required wearing of masks and reducing attendance so that at least six feet separates each rally-goer while in the arena."

[23] Trump also repeated false claims regarding his predecessor, Barack Obama; his 2020 opponent, Joe Biden, and Democrats;[24] falsely claimed credit for establishing the VA Choice program (which was actually established by legislation sponsored by John McCain and Bernie Sanders and signed into law by Obama); and exaggerated the scope of the coronavirus-related travel restrictions imposed by his administration.

[28][29][27] It was reported that TikTok users and members of K-pop fandoms had credited themselves with falsely requesting tickets for the rally, as part of a coordinated effort to "troll" Trump;[30][31][32] earlier, Mary Jo Laupp (who had worked for Pete Buttigieg's campaign for Democratic candidacy in the 2020 presidential election) uploaded a video on TikTok which encouraged viewers to request the Trump camp a ticket and not show up.

[30] TikTok users claimed his attempted ban of the social media platform in August 2020—which the administration cited alleged national security concerns related to its ownership by Chinese technology company ByteDance as the basis, and was blocked in two separate lawsuits for violating the Administrative Procedure Act and First Amendment exemptions to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act's sanctioning authority—was retaliation for the prank.

Fox News recorded an average of 7.7 million viewers that night (peaking at 8.2 near the 9:00 p.m. EDT hour), which it stated was its highest Saturday primetime viewership in network history.

[46] Trump was reportedly "furious" over the low attendance of the rally;[27][47][48] campaign manager Brad Parscale argued that "a week's worth of the fake news media warning people away from the rally because of COVID and protesters" had deterred attendance, while Murtaugh accused "radical protesters, coupled with a relentless onslaught from the media", of attempting to "frighten" Trump's supporters.

On Fox News Sunday the following morning, campaign advisor Mercedes Schlapp similarly accused protesters of having "blocked the paths" to the venue to deter attendance.

However, besides a group of anti-Trump protesters near a security checkpoint, as well as one of the venue entrances being temporarily closed after an attempt to block it, CNN reporters on-scene observed relatively few disruptions.

In an interview with CBN News aired later that evening, Trump denied that he had directly ordered his administration to reduce testing (calling his remark in the speech "semi tongue-in-cheek").

"[2] In testimony to the House of Representatives following the rally, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Anthony Fauci denied that Trump officials had asked them to "slow down" testing.