As the protests on oppression continue to escalate into full-fledged violence between supposed demonstrators and the police, President Donald Trump has repeatedly blasted several Democratic officials and made threats on social media. This time, Trump has doubled down on his efforts to criticize Democratic state governors and mayors to take more control of the protests.
The Guardian reports that Trump has called for officials to take a more aggressive approach in trying to disperse the protests. The protests follow the death of African-American George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Over the weekend, what initially began as a peaceful protest turned into violence as law enforcement officials engaged in the skirmish by setting off tear gas and shooting rubber bullets onto the demonstrators. White male anarchists along with activist groups have been attributed to have started the violence between the demonstrators and the police.
Monday morning, Trump was on a conference call with several officials, including Attorney General William Barr and Defense Secretary Mark Esper. Some state governors have already activated the National Guard units to disperse the riots and looting that came as a result of the protests. Trump continued to warn the state governors that should they fail to dominate their protesters, “you’re wasting your time, they’re going to run over you. You’re going to look like a bunch of jerks.”
The President also zeroed in on New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, all three of whom have Democratic mayors and state governors. Trump said that New York needs to “toughen up” and added that they can send in the National Guard if necessary. Trump claims that the rioting and violence were instigated by left-wing extremists.
Trump has been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for worsening the situation from his tweets, such as calling for the police to take a more aggressive stance than they already are at the moment. As the unrest in the nation continues, the widest it has been since 1968, Trump’s allies have advised him to tone down his remarks on the situation. This advice was dismissed.
His advisers are then faced with a dilemma as to what Trump should be focusing on in response to the protests and riots. While some have said that the focus should be on George Floyd’s death, others have argued that trying to stop the violence in the streets is what should be done.