President Donald Trump announced Friday morning that the National Guard troops have arrived on the scene in Minneapolis, Minnesota to help local officials control the riots taking place in the city.
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz originally activated the National Guard on Thursday evening after protests over the death of George Floyd while in police custody evolved into riots.
“The National Guard has arrived on the scene,” the president tweeted. “They are in Minneapolis and fully prepared. George Floyd will not have died in vain. Respect his memory!!!”
The National Guard has arrived on the scene. They are in Minneapolis and fully prepared. George Floyd will not have died in vain. Respect his memory!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020
Trump received a briefing from Attorney General William Barr and other Justice Department officials on Floyd’s death Thursday at the White House.
He later tweeted harsh criticism for the riots which have overtaken the peaceful protests in Minneapolis. (RELATED: Twitter Censors Trump For ‘Glorifying Violence’ In Tweet Vowing To Send Military On ‘Thugs’)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – MAY 28: A member of the National Guard patrols near a burned out building on the fourth day of protests on May 29, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
People assist an injured man during a protest outside the Third Police Precinct on May 28, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, who died after a police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes. (Photo by KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – MAY 29: A man approaches a police line after a night of protests and violence on May 29, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – MAY 29: Police carrying batons hold a line on the fourth day of protests on May 29, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis,” he wrote early Friday morning. “A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right.”
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 28: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office before signing an executive order related to regulating social media on May 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. Trump’s executive order could lead to attempts to punish companies such as Twitter and Google for attempting to point out factual inconsistencies in social media posts by politicians. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)
Twitter later marked a followup tweet from the president as “glorifying violence” and blocked other accounts from interacting with it.
“These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen,” the tweet in question reads. “Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
….These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020
The official White House Twitter account was also dinged for reposting Trump’s message.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – MAY 29: A member of the State Patrol stands guard on the fourth day of protests on May 29, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – MAY 29: Police carrying batons patrol on the fourth day of protests on May 29, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Trump has escalated his feud with Twitter, his preferred social media platform, in recent days. On Thursday, he signed an executive order calling for a wide-ranging overhaul of laws pertaining to social media liability and censorship.
He told reporters at the signing ceremony that he would delete his account “in a minute” if not for the “fake news.”
