John's Episcopal Church. The clearing of demonstrators from Lafayette Square was widely condemned as excessive force and an affront to the First Amendment right to freedom of assembly.
Former military leaders, current religious leaders, and elected officials from both major political parties condemned Trump for the event, [ 11 ] though some of Trump's fellow Republicans defended the actions. Attorney General William Barr , and other federal officials, alleging they violated protesters' constitutional rights. Milley , Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , later apologized for his role in the photo op. Metropolitan Police , revealed Park Police did not request deployment of Bureau of Prisons to the park, and reported that it was not known why U.
Secret Service had deployed ahead of schedule, advancing on protesters before the Park Police had a chance to warn protesters to disperse. On May 25, , George Floyd , a year-old black man, was murdered by white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin , who kept his knee on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes during an arrest. During his presidential campaign , Trump declared himself "the law and order candidate", [ 23 ] alluding to a political theme popularized in the late s by George Wallace , Richard Nixon and then- Governor of California Ronald Reagan.
Following days of domestic unrest in May, Trump returned to the law-and-order message. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.
Thank you! On June 1, invocation of the Insurrection Act to deploy active-duty military forces was discussed in a a. We need 10, troops up here [in Washington]. I want it right now. Just shoot them in the legs or something. Rather, local law enforcement and the National Guard could be used to make a show of force and dominate the streets.
