Trump Threatens Military Deployment As Protests Rage Across The Country

After violent protests escalated over the killing of George Floyd, an African-American, by a white policeman, President Donald Trump threatened to send in the military to quell the violence should a city or state refuse to take necessary action to defend the life and property of its citizens.

What Happened

The president announced on Monday during a presser at Rose Garden, “I am mobilizing all federal and local resources, civilian and military, to protect the rights of law-abiding Americans.”

Trump stopped short of invoking a law from 1807 called the Insurrection Act, which would allow him to deploy U.S. soldiers to respond to protests across the country.

The president said he was taking “swift and decisive action” to protect Washington D.C. and sending “ thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel, and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults and the wanton destruction of property.”

Why It Matters

According to CNBC, even as the president spoke, riot and military police stationed outside the White House took action to clear Lafayette Square, a public square right outside the presidential residence. Trump later took a walk in the square and raised a bible in front of St. John’s Church, which had been set on fire the night before. 

On Friday, Trump had threatened the protestors assembled outside the White House gates with “vicious dogs” and “ominous weapons.”

The president urged governors to take strong action on Monday, saying, “You have to dominate. If you don’t dominate, you’re wasting your time. They’re going to run over you. You’re going to look like a bunch of jerks. You have to dominate.”

He told the governors that he appointed Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Army General Mark Milley “in charge.” It is not clear if the general would be responsible for quietening the domestic unrest.

Twenty three states and the District of Columbia have mobilized 17,000 National Guard troops in support of state and local law enforcement, as of Monday morning. 

Image Credit: Courtesy of the White House.