Trump decries anti-racism protesters 'thugs'
US President Donald Trump has criticized anti-racism demonstrators protesting outside the Republican National Convention in the US capital, Washington, DC, calling them “thugs”.
Speaking at an outdoor campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire on Friday, Trump said those who had protested the previous night around the White House during the final night of the Republican's convention had been "thugs".
Trump rebuked Washington, DC's mayor, Muriel Bowser (D), for what he described as her failure to run the city. “The thugs outside, because the Democratic mayor of Washington, DC -- It’s another Democrat that’s not believing in law and order. And you know we give Washington, DC, a lot of money to run it, but they don’t do a good job of running it, the mayor. She doesn’t run anything.”
Trump said he was reviewing plans to trigger the Insurrection Act and bring in military troops to crackdown on the demonstrators protesting across the United States following the police killing of George Floyd. He accused the anti-racism protesters of “looking for trouble” and called them “bad people,” claiming Floyd's killing was unrelated to the protests. “They’re not protesters, those aren't protesters. Those are anarchists, they’re agitators, they’re rioters, they’re looters."
Trump's remarks played into the “law and order” message that he has been trying to publicize as the central point of his reelection campaign. The former real estate developer is now portraying himself as the one who can revive the economy, claiming that the victory of his "weak" Democratic rival, Joe Biden, would only worsen the crises besieging the country.
"This election will decide whether we protect law-abiding Americans, or whether we give free rein to violent anarchic agitators and criminals who threaten our citizens," Trump said after formally accepting the Republican nomination for a second time.
Protesters across the US say institutional racism and police brutality are the root of the nationwide revolt triggered by the police killing of Floyd.
Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, was killed in May in Minneapolis after an officer knelt on his neck for 9 minutes while he was handcuffed.
Quick and peaceful US election transition
US media declares Trump winner of presidency
‘War criminals’: Netizens react to US election results as Trump declares victory over Harris
VIDEO | Beaten Democrats look warily at four more years of Trump
VIDEO | A look at Trump's past actions
US, UK warplanes pound Yemeni capital Sana’a, other regions
VIDEO | 57 weeks of pro-Palestine rallies in Milan
VIDEO | Iraqi fighters strike Israeli military target, vow ‘increasing intensity’
VIDEO | Iran confirms successful signals from Kowsar, Hodhod satellites
VIDEO | What will keep Gaza on top of the new US presidential agenda?
188 Palestinian journalists killed since start of Israeli war: Gaza media office
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
