US president says 'silent majority is stronger than ever before' – as it happened

Trump has now turned to the recent protests following the death of George Floyd. He is talking about Seattle’s protest zone and says it is “probably best just for us to watch that disaster”. He says “let people see what radical left Democrats will do to our country”. He says these same “radicals” have looted businesses and injured police officers. And soon he’s back to the “China virus” and how the media have failed to thank him for saving “hundreds of thousands of lives”. Many experts have pointed out that holding tonight’s rally risks lives being lost from Covid.

We have the first reference of the evening to “the China virus”. It’s swiftly followed by a reference to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - he asks whether the crowd would want her in charge of energy. Her name is roundly booed.

Trump asks the crowd if they have ever noticed that Joe Biden ever gets the names of states wrong and that makes him lose credibility. The following link is posted with no further comment:

Trump says anyone who disrespects veterans will “be fired” to huge cheers. He said he had never known the “swamp” in Washington was “so deep” until he became president. He goes on to say he has granted huge tax cuts while the Democrats will raise them.

Trump says the Republican party is the party of “liberty, equality and justice for all” and “law and order” expect that final phrase mentioned plenty of times in the coming months. He hails the number of Republican judges appointed during his administration so far. Trump also says the Republicans could get a “few more” supreme court justices if he is reelected. Not that that’s helped Trump in the last week or so.

The president starts by thanking “Oklahoma and Mike Pence”, who preceded him on stage. He says he has been watching “fake news” for weeks saying people should stay away from the rally, and there were “very bad” people outside trying to prevent people from entering. There are boos at mention of the media. He says “the silent majority” will beat “sleepy Joe Biden” in November.

The president, wearing his familiar red tie, is taking the stage in Tulsa. He was due on stage at 7pm local time and made it on for 7.12pm. Say what you want about the president - and there’s plenty to say - but he knows how to get his most partisan supporters going.

The cameras have shown a wide view of the arena, and there are plenty of empty seats in the upper decks and on the floor (there are more people in the lower ring of seats). The president was due on stage by now, and Mike Pence has left the stage so he should be on soon. Fox News says it looks “packed” but it’s ... not? Anyway, it’s probably not the most important issue in the country right now.

People are still entering the arena in Tulsa as the crowd awaits the president’s speech, which is due in five minutes or so. Meanwhile, Mike Pence is on stage and says there was “no excuse” for George Floyd’s death before adding (to cheers) that there is “no excuse” for rioting either.

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The Trump campaign blamed “radical protesters” for stopping some of the president’s supporters from attending today’s rally. Our southern bureau chief, Oliver Laughland, is on the ground tonight and saw no evidence of that.