Trump tells governors to ‘dominate’ protesters and ‘put them in jail for 10 years’
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TOP LINE
In a nearly hour-long call with governors on Monday, President Trump urged them to get “much harder“and to” dominate “protesters in the sometimes violent protests that erupted nationwide after the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis last Monday.
President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Saturday, May 30 … [+]
ASSOCIATED PRESS
HIGHLIGHTS
Trump told governors most of them were “weak” and that “they are going to crush you, you are going to look like a bunch of morons”, according to Ed o’keefe from CBS News.
Trump has frequently spoken of his concern about the optics, saying that “other countries are watching this” and that it makes the United States look “a cinch” and “a laughing stock”, particularly the protests at Manhattan which “are talked about a lot”. “
Trump reportedly said: “You have to arrest people, you have to follow people, you have to put them in jail for 10 years and you will never see this stuff again.”
“It’s a move, if you don’t let go it will get worse and worse… The only time it succeeds is when you are weak and most of you are weak,” Trump said. according to CNN.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker rebuffed Trump’s comments on the call, says Katie rogers from the New York Times: “The rhetoric coming out of the White House makes it worse” and “we need to have national leadership to call for calm and ensure that we address the concerns of legitimate peaceful protesters.” It will help us tidy up. “
Trump replied that “I don’t like your rhetoric very much either because I watched it in regards to the coronavirus, and I don’t like your rhetoric very much either.”
Tangent
Although Minnesota officials have flagged out-of-state agitators as white supremacists and anarchists, Trump focused his blame on left-wing protesters and said he would label “Antifa“as a terrorist organization, although it does not have the power to do so.
Chief Critics
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in a declaration following the call said Trump’s comments were “disturbing” and that they “should be of grave concern to all Americans, as they send a clear signal that this administration is determined to sow the seeds of hatred and division, which I fear will only lead to more violence and destruction. “
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