Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar called for President Donald Trump’s condemnation Sunday, saying that he was “glorifying violence.”
Omar joined ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on “This Week” to discuss protests over the death of George Floyd in police custody last Monday that have escalated in a number of cities to full-scale riots. (RELATED: Trump, White Supremacists And Russia: Here’s Who Democrats Have Blamed For Riots So Far)
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“You faced threats inspired by President Trump in the past, what would you like the hear from him now?” Stephanopoulos asked.
Omar referenced Democratic Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s remarks following unrest in the nation’s capital, saying, “She talked about how there was a kind of leadership that could have been displayed by Donald Trump and that leadership has not been displayed and now she said, ‘We look to one another for that leadership.'”
“This president has failed in really understanding the kind of pain and anguish many of his citizens are feeling,” Omar continued. “When you have a president who really is glorifying violence, who’s talking about the kind of vicious dogs and weapons that could be unleashed on citizens, it’s quite appalling and disturbing. We condemn other nations when their presidents make those kind of statements when there’s unrest in their countries, and we have to condemn our president at the highest sort of condemnation.”
President Trump had mentioned “vicious dogs and weapons” in a series of tweets posted Saturday as he thanked the U.S. Secret Service for being vigilant in their defense of the White House, noting that if rioters were to push past the Secret Service agents and onto the White House grounds, there were other defense measures that could be deployed.