Trump Administration Response to Protests

By Max Porter

George Floyd’s killing at the hands of police officers led to mass protests and a response from the Trump administration. George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was killed in police custody after officer Derek Chauvin, a white man, kneeled on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes. In turn, protests erupted nationwide, with Trump responding in many ways.

On May 28, White House spokesman Judd Deere said Trump was taking the death seriously. “This has nothing to do with politics and is only about making sure justice is done, and anyone who suggests otherwise is only seeking to sow division and ignore the President’s unwavering support for the African-American community,” Deere said.

When protestors gathered at the steps of the White House on May 29, secret service agents rushed Trump to a secret bunker. The protests became violent, scaring White House officials, including Trump and his family, into hiding. White House spokesman Judd Deere later stated that “the White House does not comment on security protocols and decisions.” Later that night, Trump tweeted: "Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” This tweet received tons of criticism, and was even flagged by Twitter for “glorifying violence.”

By May 30, Trump had deployed the National Guard in Minneapolis, a rally point for many protestors. Taking a swing at Governor Mayor Jacob Frey, Trump tweeted; "The National Guard has been released in Minneapolis to do the job that the Democrat Mayor couldn’t do.” Planning to deploy up to 10,000 soldiers to Minneapolis, Trump stated he was playing “No games!” with violent protests.

In a meeting on June 1, Trump told the nation's governors to “dominate” the protests. "If you don't dominate, you're wasting your time. They're going to run all over you, you'll look like a bunch of jerks," Trump said. Calling the protestors “radicals” and “anarchists” Trump ordered governors to start arresting the “troublemakers” when caught on police body cams. Attorney General Bill Barr, in the same meeting, stated how some cities require the National Guard to create a “strong presence” in order to defend buildings and control the crowd. “These are terrorists, [and] they're looking to do bad things to our country,” said Trump.

“The memory of Floyd is being dishonored by rioters, looters, and anarchists,” Trump announced, while also blaming Antifa and other radical left-wing groups for looting, burning, and other more violent forms of protest. "We have peaceful protesters, and support the rights for peaceful protesters. We can't allow a situation like in Minneapolis to descend further into lawless anarchy and chaos," the president concluded.

"I understand the hurt. I understand the pain,” Trump said. “People have really been through a lot. The family of George is entitled to justice and the people of Minnesota are entitled to live in safety."