For the last week, protests against police brutality have been a common site in cities across America. As some states mobilize their National Guard reserves, opponents to the protests are growing frustrated. Notably, President Donald Trump has shown he has no patience for the protesters. On Thursday, he controversially tweeted “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
On Monday, the president doubled down on this sentiment. During a teleconference with American governors, Trump told them that they needed to use aggressive tactics. “You have to dominate, or you’ll look like a bunch of jerks, you have to arrest and try people,” the president said during Monday’s remarks. The quotes of Trump came from audio recording of the call obtained by CNN.
During the call, the president is said to have appeared visibly agitated by the situation. On Friday, protests outside the White House forced the president and the First Family to take shelter in the Presidential Bunker. It’s easy to see how Trump would be rattled by widespread protests, many of which denounce him by name.
Trump appeared to shift the need for a strong response from himself to the governors on the call. “It’s a movement, if you don’t put it down it will get worse and worse,” Trump told governors. “The only time its successful is when you’re weak and most of you are weak,” he continued. During the call, Trump continued his unsubstantiated claims that the “radical left” is somehow responsible for the protests.
Trump’s comments regarding the protests have garnered unflattering comparisons to Civil Rights era “law and order” rhetoric. His tweet including the phrase “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” referenced a Miami police chief from the late 1960s, Walter Headley, who was widely criticized for his militant approach in dealing with protesters.
The president is facing down twin crises: at once, the issue of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the widespread civil unrest of the past week have clearly rattled the country. The pandemic has led to many needing online doctor consultation for potential COVID-19 symptoms. Trump’s angry appearance before governors on the call and his fiery rhetoric underscore the stresses of the current moment.
Advisors within the White House are split on how Trump should address the protests. On the one hand, some believe the president should call for understanding and empathy. On the other, some advisors want the president to continue a “law and order” focus. Trump himself seems to favor the latter. Trump emphasized during the call, “if you don’t dominate, you’re wasting your time.”
