Trump addresses campaign rally at nearly half empty Tulsa arena

Gathering a smaller than expected crowd, President Donald Trump sought to breathe new life into his re-election campaign with a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, amid anti-racism protests in cities across the country and a still-strong coronavirus pandemic.

Even as the coronavirus death toll in the United States neared 120,000, Trump declared on Saturday night that his response to the pandemic saved "hundreds of thousands" of lives.

He also suggested that he wants the pace of COVID-19 testing in the US to slow down, blaming it for the rapid rise in the number of confirmed cases. His campaign, however, said the president was "speaking in jest".

The US president also tried to explain away the crowd size, blaming it on the media who he said warned people: "Don't go, don't come, don't do anything," while insisting that the protesters outside were "doing bad things", though the small crowds of pre-rally demonstrators were largely peaceful.