Special edition: Tepid in Tulsa

[Bloomberg]( Follow Us //link.mail.bloombergbusiness.com/click/20684086.87480/aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9icG9saXRpY3M/582c8673566a94262a8b49bdB8f6b6ae0 [Get the newsletter]( Donald Trump’s first big rally in three months shows his most devoted fans remain steadfast. But it raises doubts about whether he can [draw enough support]( from elsewhere come election time. The U.S. president had boasted that 60,000 would join the event in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Rowdy groups lined up for days beforehand, sporting ubiquitous [Make America Great Again]( caps. But on the night the 19,000-capacity stadium had plenty of empty seats, and a plan for Trump to speak at an outdoor “Great American Comeback” celebration [was abruptly canceled](. Trump’s camp said protesters obstructed entry (inside, the president said “we had some very bad people outside, they were doing some bad things”). And a spike in Covid-19 cases may have deterred those worried about a lack of social distancing, especially as some Trump supporters eschewed wearing masks. Even so, the event raises questions about Trump’s ability to connect with voters outside his base, especially as issues around the economy and racial justice in America come to the fore in the final months of the campaign. Presumptive Democratic opponent Joe Biden is pulling ahead in national polls and surveys of key states, even as he struggles to articulate a policy agenda beyond criticizing Trump. The president’s 100 minute-plus speech kept mostly to familiar themes: pledging to be firm on China on trade, [calling Covid-19]( the “Kung flu.” Warning against protesters’ demands to abolish police departments. The takeaway from Tulsa is that while the usual routine plays well to the faithful, at a time of fundamental worry for many about their future, it may take more than that come November. — [Rosalind Mathieson]( Trump speaks during the Tulsa rally on June 20. Photographer: Go Nakamura/Bloomberg Tell us how we’re doing or what we’re missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net. Global Headlines [Virus fears]( | News that six of Trump’s campaign staffers tested positive for the coronavirus underscored the public-health threat of the rally. Inside the arena, few people wore face masks, with some saying they didn’t believe government data showing a surge in Tulsa cases, while outside vendors sported face shields as they sold Trump hats and T-shirts. Student Rocquel Ussrey said the pandemic is scary, but it was “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to see a standing president.” [Tulsa scuffles]( | Trump tied nationwide protests against racial injustice to Biden, saying he was a “puppet of the radical left.” He decried the destruction of historical monuments and turmoil in the National Football League, which he said he would not tolerate. Police confronted demonstrators after the Tulsa rally, firing unidentified projectiles with eye irritants, while videos showed [shouting matches]( between Trump supporters and protesters. - One person is dead and 11 have non-life-threatening injuries [in a shooting]( in Minneapolis, police said. A woman speaks with members of the National Guard as demonstrators gather and shout slogans during a protest at the entrance gate to the rally. Photographer: Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg [German swipe]( | Trump told the Tulsa crowd he’s reducing the number of U.S. troops in Germany because it doesn’t spend enough on defense and supports the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project with Russia. “They’re delinquent, for many years they’re delinquent,” he said of Germany’s contributions to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization budget. It comes after Chancellor Angela Merkel snubbed Trump’s plan to hold an in-person Group of Seven summit in June. - [Read our exclusive take]( on how Merkel expects more curveballs from her American counterpart. [Prosecutor quits]( | Geoffrey S. Berman resigned as chief federal prosecutor in New York last night after Attorney General William Barr changed his choice of an interim replacement and named Deputy U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss, a trusted prosecutor in the office who’s been overseeing Trump-related investigations. His departure followed a remarkable standoff with Barr and contradictory comments from Trump. [Campaign cash]( | The president outspent Biden more than two to one on his campaign last month, Federal Election Commission filings show. Yet overall, Biden and his allied committees managed to raise more money than Trump for the first time. Biden has been relying on virtual rallies, with his former boss Barack Obama scheduled to headline an event this week. - [Read here]( about Biden’s start to building his presidential transition team. What to Watch - Expect more to come from former national security advisor John Bolton’s tell-all memoir after it was [cleared for release]( on Tuesday, with a federal judge rejecting the Justice Department’s last-ditch attempt to block its publication on national security grounds. - Trump hosts Polish President Andrzej Duda on Wednesday as the two leaders’ ties with the European Union come [under strain](. Then on Saturday Trump meets with the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo, [sidelining the EU]( which had been mediating in the search for a settlement. - Watch for further U.S. reaction as China [moves closer]( to enacting a national security law on Hong Kong. Meanwhile, China’s top legislative body voted to join a [global treaty on arms sales]( in a move that supports Beijing’s efforts to contrast itself with Trump’s “America First” policies. - Trump said he will announce [new restrictions]( on employment-based immigration visas in the next two days, as the nation recovers from pandemic-related unemployment. [And finally]( ... One of the reasons for the relatively poor turnout at the Tulsa rally may have been teenagers who [decided to RSVP]( with no intention of attending. Memes on the video-sharing app TikTok showed teenagers dancing in front of screenshots of their Trump rally registrations. Many of the posts were set to the tune of the 1993 song “Macarena,” prompting others to repeat the gesture and causing the meme to go viral. Empty seats at the Tulsa rally. Photographer: Go Nakamura/Bloomberg   You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Balance of Power newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022