(Photo: REUTERS/Ken Cedeno TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
United States President Trump threatened the country's governors on Monday that he would use military force to states if they did not contain the worsening protests over police brutality that have jolted the nation in the last few days.
Trump's powerful message from the White House came as Washington law enforcement authorities fired rubber bullets and tear gas into violent crowds of demonstrators that had gathered on a block away.
Trump waited a few minutes until a 7 p.m. curfew was scheduled to take effect in the country's capital in order for him to deliver the six-minute announcement. It came following two nights of arson, vandalism, looting and street battles in the District of Columbia between police and protestors.
Trump said he will deploy the military, a declaration that drew angry reactions from senators and governors across the US. Democrat New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo disclosed that Trump's threat to use military force was truly shameful.
After the president's media briefing, California Senator Kamala Harris took to social media and tweeted: "These are not the words of a president. They're the words of a dictator," as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald.
Police backed by National Guard soldiers forcefully pushed back the demonstrators outside the White House Monday evening to clear a path for Trump, just moments after he stated he wanted a show of force from the military to quell the violent protests rocking the nation.
Trump's aggressive rhetoric came as the country braced for another wave of chaos at a time when the US is still reeling from the ill effects of a global health crisis, and the Depression-level unemployment it has caused. At the White House Rose Garden, the president ordered an immediate end to the violent demonstrations, and threatened to apply more force to attain that objective.
Protests against police excessive use of force have broken out in dozens of US cities, and Trump has responded by expressing dismay at Floyd's killing while calling for harsh measures against those he describes as "thugs," warning that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts."
In his most aggressive statements since the death of Floyd in Minneapolis last week, the commander in chief urged mayors and governors to "dominate the streets" with an overwhelming law enforcement presence. "You have to dominate," Trump said. "If you do not... they are going to run over you, and you are going to look like a bunch of jerks."
