President Donald Trump denied seeking protection from protests inside the White House bunker Friday night, saying he instead went to inspect the bunker during the day.
The White House went into a brief lockdown on Friday night, and multiple outlets reported Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and their son Barron were all taken to the bunker for just under an hour during that time. Trump denied that version of events in a Fox News Radio interview Wednesday morning, according to CBS’ Weijia Jiang. (RELATED: Park Police Claim Authorities Did Not Use Tear Gas To Clear Lafayette Park, Deployed Other Irritants Instead)
“I went down during the day and I was there for a tiny, little short period of time and it was much more for an inspection, there was no problem during the day,” Trump said, according to CNBC.
NEW: In a live Fox News radio interview just now, the President said he did not go to the White House bunker on Friday night as protests unfolded nearby.
He said he went during the DAY to “inspect” the shelter “for a very short period of time.”
— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) June 3, 2020
The Wall St. Journal credited its reporting to a senior administration official who said the Secret Service had brought Trump to the bunker during the protests out of protocol.
Protests have surged across the country following days of unrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Derek Chauvin, a white former police officer killed George Floyd, an unarmed black man, by pressing his knee into his neck for several minutes. Crowds outside the White House were breaking through barriers and being stopped by the secret service throughout Friday night, leading to the lockdown, according to USA Today.
Trump delivered a speech at the White House on Monday evening saying he was a “law and order president.” He has expressed willingness to bring in the military to quell unrest under the Insurrection Act, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has balked at the idea.