'You're weak!' Trump calls governors 'jerks' and 'fools' for not deploying the National Guard to stop violent protests then uses Twitter to threaten to deploy the 101st Airborne against ANTIFA 'terrorists' he claims are behind violence
Donald Trump told governors during a video conference from the Situation Room on Monday that they are 'weak' and need to 'dominate' cities ravaged by riots or they will look like 'jerks.'
'You have to dominate, if you don't dominate you're wasting your time. They're going to run over you, you're going to look like a bunch of jerks. You have to dominate,' audio of the call revealed.
'The only time it's successful is when you're weak and most of you are weak,' he added, CNN reported, claiming that if governors and local leaders were more tough on rioters, there would be less destruction of their major cities.
'You've got to arrest people, you have to track people, you have to put them in jail for 10 years and you'll never see this stuff again,' Trump said during the 55-minute call. 'We're doing it in Washington, D.C. We're going to do something that people haven't seen before.'
'You're making a mistake because you're making yourselves look like fools,' he continued later in the call, claiming that they need to activate more National Guard support as a show of force on city streets.'And some have done a great job. But a lot of you, it's not – it's not a great day for our country.'
The president also threatened to deploy the 101st Airborne Division of the Army to provide 'backup' to cities ravaged by the riots.
The president made this message by endorsing a statement made by Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton: '100% Correct. Thank you Tom!'
Cotton wrote on Monday, 'Anarchy, rioting, and looting needs to end tonight.'
'If local law enforcement is overwhelmed and needs backup, let's see how tough these Antifa terrorists are when they're facing off with the 101st Airborne Division,' he continued in the tweet. 'We need to have zero tolerance for this destruction.'
Trump has pushed for governors to activate the National Guard in there states and has not yet formally addressed the nation since the unrest began.
He did say during his call with governors Monday that he is putting Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley 'in charge.'
The president did not clarify what he meant during his rant to the state leaders, specifically if he was planning to deploy the military to quell protests – and White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany did not clear up the comments during a press briefing Monday afternoon.
'I'm not going to get ahead of any actions,' McEnany told reporters in the James S. Brady Briefing Room.
'Our streets are dominated with a police force and a national guard presence,' she continued, claiming that police lines are overwhelmed by the rioters.
'When those lines are overwhelmed, law enforcement gets on the defense,' she said. 'So what the president has said, is that he wants to dominate the streets with National Guard, with a police presence.'
McEnany noted that Milley said during the call, which he was a part of, that a National Guard presence helps to de-escalate situations like the ones popping up all over the country.
She did not clarify if putting Milley in charge means that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would be completely overseeing a domestic issue.
Thousands of protesters were arrested across the country over the weekend as major cities are the most affected areas of rioting, looting and arson
Donald Trump threatened on Monday to deploy the Army's 101st Airborne to face off with those rioting in U.S. cities' streets – setting fires, looting and destroying property
Donald Trump, joined by Attorney General Bill Barr (pictured left), told governors during a teleconference in the Situation Room on Monday that they are 'weak' on rioters and need to 'dominate' by arresting and trying more people
Violent protesters surrounded the White House for a fourth day on Sunday and it was revealed that Donald Trump was taken, for a short period of time, to the bunker in the residence on Friday and has expressed he is concerned for his safety
Louis Vuitton had been boarded up but the looters ripped plywood from one window to break their way inside. George Floyd's name was scrawled on one of the boards
A young man on a Citibike on Monday morning after taking from Balmain, one of the many stores that was looted on Sunday night
George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on Memorial Day as he was arrested by four police officers over allegedly trying to buy cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. He was seen in a video pleading that he couldn't breathe as white officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against his neck
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a frequent target of the president in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, responded to the meeting in a statement following where she claimed Trump said the governors would be 'overridden.'
'I joined a call with my fellow governors and the current president that was deeply disturbing,' she said. 'Instead of offering support or leadership to bring down the temperature at protests, President Trump told governors to 'put it down' or we would be 'overridden.'
A person listening in on the call told CBS News that the president's message and tone was 'unhinged.' Illinois' governor J.B. Pritzker hit back at him during the call, telling Trump his own rhetoric was fueling the violence.
In the call, Trump specifically called out Minnesota, where the riots originated after Goerge Floyd, a black man, was killed by a white police officer there last week.
'What happened in the state of Minnesota, they were a laughing stock all over the world,' Trump said in the call.
'They took over the police department, the police were running down the street, sirens blazing, the rest of them running. It was on camera,' he said, referencing rioters who torched the Minneapolis police station on Friday.
'They'll probably have to build a new one,' Trump said. 'But I've never seen anything like it and the whole world was laughing.'
He then praised his own work by talking with Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on activating the National Guard in the state to help the Twin Cities mitigate violent demonstrators, claiming Walz acted on his suggestion.
'Once you cool down and you dominated, you took the worst place and you made it – they didn't even come there last night because there was so much less, because you dominated,' he lauded.
But right after the president's call with governors, Walz held a press conference where he said he would be working to demobilize the National Guard, which he had just activated a few days before upon the encouragement of the president.
He said the state is working on a 'transition of our National Guard troops back to their homes and their jobs.'
'They take time out of their jobs, and many of them will be going back – some of them working as news reporters, some of them working as camera operators, some of them working as teachers. That will begin to happen,' Walz said.
On the call, Illinois governor J.B. Priztker bluntly told Trump his rhetoric was not helping.
'It's been inflammatory, and it's not OK for that officer to choke George Floyd to death but we have to call for calm. We have to have police reform called for. We've called out our National Guard and our State Police, but the rhetoric that's coming out of the White House is making it worse,' Pritzker said, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Trump hit back saying: 'OK, well thank you very much, J.B. I don't like your rhetoric very much either because I watched your response to coronavirus, and I don't like your rhetoric either. I think you could have done a much better job, frankly.'
Trump also unloaded on New York, claiming that 'New York's finest' were not being 'allowed to do their jobs.'
'New York is going to have to toughen up,' he said.
'You have the largest police force in the country, 40,000 people I understand but what's going on in New York is terrible, terrible, of all the places.'
Attorney General Bill Barr, who was also on the call, told governors that a joint terrorist task force would be used to track the agitators.
He also told local officials, lawmakers and enforcement to control what is going on in cities rather than react to crowds – and he urged them to 'go after troublemakers.'
The comments from Trump on increasing arrests come as more than 4,100 people were taken into custody across the country over the weekend in the at least 145 cities participating in protests, demonstrations and riots.
President Trump held talks with his Barr, law enforcement officials and state leaders as violence continues to escalate in the sixth day of protests in cities all over the country in the wake of George Floyd's death.
Barr visited the White House for an Oval Office meeting with the president Monday morning, and shortly after, Trump hosted a video conference with governors, law enforcement leaders and national security officials in the Situation Room to discuss ways to keep American communities safe.
Cities across the nation appear war-torn after rioters set establishments and cars in the middle of streets on fire, smashed windows of local stores and looted their shelves and clashed with law enforcement.
Trump had to flee to the White House bunker to shelter in place for a short period of time on Friday, it was revealed on Sunday, as protesters surrounding the White House.
Many governors activated the National Guard in their states and sent them to cities being affected by protests turned to violence.
Governors and mayors also went public, both on their own mediums and in interviews with networks, claiming that while they support rioters' right to gather, they are pleading for an end to the violence and destruction in their cities as a means of protesting.
The president did not appear publicly on Sunday to address the rioters, who have engulfed the perimeter of the White House as well taken to the streets in several other U.S. cities, he did weigh in on Twitter, claiming that governors need to activate the National Guard in their states.
He lauded the improvements over the weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota by the National Guard's presence – and while the demonstrations have appeared less violent since they started at the end of last week, police in the city said they discovered Sunday caches of homemade firebombs around the city.
The president has told aides that he's concerned about his safety as the White House went dark after it turned off its lights in a rare move Sunday night while protests and riots continued a few hundred yards away from the residence.
The rioters also set a fire to American Flags in Lafayette Square, the park adjacent to the North Lawn of the White House – and they were hit by tear gas by law enforcement.
More than 50 Secret Service agents were injured in clashes with protesters in the nation's capital, and more than 4,100 people were arrested across the country over the weekend as everything from peaceful protests to riots emerged in at least 145 cities.
The extraordinary images were taken Saturday amid the smoldering remains of the 3rd Precinct headquarters of the Minneapolis Police Department
The group of masked and gloved men used pliers and hammers to prize open the heavy metal chest while others rifled through files and ransacked burnout rooms with complete impunity
Minneapolis looters are caught on camera hacking at a safe inside the charred shell of an abandoned police precinct in surreal scenes that lay bare the wanton lawlessness gripping the US, exclusive photos by
Protesters set an American flag on fire at Lafayette Park in front of the White House as they rallied against police brutality on Sunday evening, and were hit with tear gas by law enforcement
D.C. was also among the 40 cities that imposed a curfew as riots escalated after sundown.
Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Monday that some of the protesters that terrorized the city overnight had come prepared with tools and supplies, and claimed that they set fires to draw police away from where they were planning to riot, loot and cause destruction.
'We recognize that people are frustrated and mad but tearing up our beautiful city is not the way to bring attention to what is a righteous cause,' Bowser told NBC News' Today.
Just after the 11:00 p.m. curfew passed, a fire broke out at St. John's Episcopal Church, which was spared from protests the day before.
The riots broke out after video emerged of, George Floyd (pictured), being killed after a white police officer held his knee on his neck for eight minutes during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Memorial Day
While Trump remained out of sight in the midst of the riots, his advisers discussed the prospect of an Oval Office address in an attempt to ease tensions. The notion was quickly scrapped for lack of policy proposals and the president's own seeming disinterest in delivering a message of unity.
Instead, Trump has urged governors to activate the National Guard, demanding they 'get tough, but has not sought control of the Army reservists himself to quell the nationwide riots.
The violence ensued after George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed while in a white police officer's custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.
A cellphone video of the incident went viral where Derek Chauvin, 44, can be seen holding his knee on Floyd's neck during an arrest for more than eight minutes as the victim repeatedly said he could not breathe.
While Floyd was handcuffed, four cops, including Chauvin, were holding him down.
Chauvin was fired after the video emerged and taken into custody on Friday after the violent protesters demanded he be arrested – and he is being charged with third-degree murder.
The other three officers have not been arrested.
Trump has also blamed the media, Democrats and outside groups for exacerbating the riots – asserting on Sunday that he is classifying the far-left anti-fascists group Antifa as a terrorist organization.
Antifa has no official leaders, and it could appear their fingerprints are all over the riots as their demonstrations include violent tactics that they deem justifiable.
Donald Trump demanded that state and local lawmakers 'get tough' and call in the National Guard to their cities to help mitigate escalating riots in the midst of George Floyd's death
Trump said Democratic-run areas should look to Minneapolis as an example of how the National Guard can help with rioters. He also blamed much of the continued riots, including looting and arson, on governors and mayors not activating the National Guard to help mitigate violence in their cities
Minnesota did activate the Guard in their state, deploying them to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul
Trump specifically mentioned the rioting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – the state has not yet called in the National Guard – and lauded the job done by the Guard in Minneapolis
'Congratulations to our National Guard for the great job they did immediately upon arriving in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last night,' Trump tweeted Sunday morning. 'The ANTIFA led anarchists, among others, were shut down quickly. Should have been done by Mayor on first night and there would have been no trouble!'
Minnesota law enforcement say that they believe white supremacists have infiltrated the riots in Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul to stoke violent demonstrators.
'They're agitators, 'Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell told CNN on Sunday, adding that there have been reports of Antifa members attending demonstrations.
While Trump does feel an outside group is involved, he asserted Monday that he does not believe that there were white supremacist groups mixed in with those protesting the death of George Floyd.
He instead doubled-down on blaming Antifa for the violent skirmishes with police.
'I don't see any indication that there were any white supremest groups mixing in. This is an ANTIFA Organization,' the president asserted.
'It seems that the first time we saw it in a major way was Occupy Wall Street. It's the same mindset,' Trump said, tagging 'Fox & Friends' host Brian Kilmeade and crediting him for the comment.
Derek Chauvin, 44, was arrested Friday on charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, which has sparked violent protests
He also replied 'TRUE!' to the Kilmeade quote, and misspelled the word 'supremacist.'
Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was asked Friday about reports that White Supremacists were involved and he answered, 'My suspicions and what I've seen on this, yes.'
'It gets worse than that,' he added. 'The cartels, who are wondering if there was a break in their drugs transmissions, are trying to take advantage of the chaos. That's why this situation is on a federal level.'
While governors and mayors scramble to create more peace in their major cities, the president is blaming them not calling in the National Guard for aggravating the violent situations.
'Get tough Democrat Mayors and Governors,' Trump urged in a tweet. 'These people are ANARCHISTS. Call in our National Guard NOW.'
'The World is watching and laughing at you and Sleepy Joe,' he continued, referring to presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. 'Is this what America wants? NO!!!'
By Sunday evening, Trump followed up his calls for the National Guard with a tweet that simply read: 'LAW & ORDER!'
So far, 15 states and Washington, D.C. have deployed the Guard.
Rioters continue to take to the streets, becoming especially active after sundown, in major cities like New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Seattle, Washington, D.C. and beyond.
While there have been at least 4,100 arrests in cities across the country this weekend and countless protesters, rioters and law enforcement officials have been injured, there are at least five instances where people have been killed in the midst of the violence.
Gunfire rang out during the riots this weekend leading to deaths in Detroit, Michigan and Indianapolis, Indiana.
In Omaha, Nebraska, a 22-year-old black protester was killed in a struggle with a local business owner.
A man was shot dead by law enforcement officers in Louisville on Sunday on the fourth night of unrest in the city in a shooting believed to be linked to the protests.
Louisville's protests, in particular, have also focused on the March 13 death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot eight times by narcotics detectives who knocked down her front door.
Chaos had unfolded in cities across America with more than 50 Secret Service agents injured in clashes with protesters in Washington DC, police charging into demonstrators in New York City and lootings continuing to unfold in major cities like California, Philadelphia and Boston.
Demonstrations from Washington DC to Los Angeles swelled from peaceful protests - sparked by the death of a black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis police custody last Monday - into scenes of violence that drew National Guard troops in at least 15 states and Washington.
More than 4,100 people were arrested this weekend alone as the violence continued to escalate and cities enacted strict curfews.
WASHINGTON DC: Chaos continued to unfold in cities across America late Sunday night including Washington DC, just steps from the White House, where police and Secret Service deployed tear gas as they faced off with protesters during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd
WASHINGTON DC: Police stand guard outside the White House late Sunday as chaotic demonstrations took place in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON DC: Protesters jump on a street sign near a burning barricade near the White House late on Sunday. Fires were set in the historic St. John's Episcopal Church and Lafayette Park in front of the White House
ATLANTA, GEORGIA: A protester is pinned down by a police officer as cops in riot gear including shields and helmets clash with protesters on Sunday night
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Smoke and debris at a looted hardware store in Philadelphia last night after it was targeted by looters during the George Floyd riots
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA: An armed vigilante attempts to stop a bank robbery in Santa Monica during the widespread riots yesterday, as protesters turned on looters in some places
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: People flee for their lives as a tanker truck drives towards thousands of protesters on a highway yesterday. The truck did not appear to have struck anyone
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Protests continued to rage fury in Boston on Sunday evening where a police car was set ablaze
'You're weak!' Trump calls governors 'jerks' and 'fools' for not deploying the National Guard to stop violent protests then uses Twitter to threaten to deploy the 101st Airborne against ANTIFA 'terrorists' he claims are behind violence
!['You're weak!' Trump calls governors 'jerks' and 'fools' for not deploying the National Guard to stop violent protests then uses Twitter to threaten to deploy the 101st Airborne against ANTIFA 'terrorists' he claims are behind violence]()
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