Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Tuesday he is happy President Donald Trump walked out of the White House and across the street to St. John’s Church, which was set on fire by protesters Sunday night.
After a weekly Senate Republican lunch, Cruz was asked about Trump’s decision to walk across Lafayette Park to the church that Cruz said was “firebombed by terrorists.” Trump’s move came minutes after he gave a speech in the Rose Garden of the White House about the riots taking place across the country and about George Floyd’s death, who died while in police custody.
“I am glad the president, yesterday, led by going to St. John’s Church, a historic church in our capital city that was firebombed by terrorists. It was important for him to be there and say ‘we will not be cowed by terrorists.'”(RELATED: President Trump Walks Out Of White House, Holds Up Bible In Front Of St. John’s Church Amid Protests)
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Earlier in the day, Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse had a much different tone and criticized Trump for reportedly clearing out a protest in front of the White House, saying he is “against clearing out a peaceful protest for a photo op that treats the Word of God as a political prop.” (RELATED: Ben Sasse Goes After Trump For ‘Photo Op’ Outside St. John’s Church — Says He Held Bible As ‘Political Prop’)
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer released a joint statement Monday night, similar to Sasse’s, about the way protesters outside the White House were reportedly treated, saying it “dishonors every value that faith teaches us.”
“Tear-gassing peaceful protestors without provocation just so that the President could pose for photos outside a church dishonors every value that faith teaches us,” the two said in their statement.
Police are planning for another night of protests Tuesday.