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Former Defense Secretary James Mattis has broken months of silence and penned an op-ed where he denounces Donald Trump’s leadership and endorses the aims of the protesters.

Mattis condemned the flexing of military might against protests he calls a legitimate response to demands for equal justice. He writes that his former commander in chief is incapable of healing the nation.

‘Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us,’ Mattis writes in the Atlantic.

The decorated veteran even compares Trump’s tactics of seeking to ‘divide’ the nation to that of the Nazis.

‘Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that ‘The Nazi slogan for destroying us … was ‘Divide and Conquer,’ he writes. ‘Our American answer is ‘In Union there is Strength.’ We must summon that unity to surmount this crisis—confident that we are better than our politics.’ 

His statement about Trump seeking to divide the nation immediately follows. 

‘We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society,’ he continues.

He pointedly takes on Trump’s photo-op Monday, where the president brandished a bible in front of St. John’s church. He writes that he is  ‘angry and appalled’ by unfolding events.

‘We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Square. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution. At the same time, we must remember Lincoln’s “better angels,” and listen to them, as we work to unite,’ Mattis wrote.

He called for unity and calm. ‘This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.’ 

His blistering article comes as other former military officials, including former head of the joint chiefs of staff Admiral Mike Mullen, blasted Trump for seeking to ‘politicize’ the military.

Mattis also wholeheartedly backs those marching for changes to U.S. policing after the death of George Floyd, who is black, at the hands of a white police officer – even singling out a ‘small number of lawbreakers’ who have undertaken property damage, which left a swath of buildings in downtown D.C. with shattered windows.

‘It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation,’ writes Mattis.

He also blasts a comment by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, whose job is already in jeopardy, for his comment calling for governors to ‘dominate the battlespace’ in U.S. cities.

‘We must reject any thinking of our cities as a ‘battlespace’ that our uniformed military is called upon to ‘dominate.’ At home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by state governors. Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict—a false conflict—between the military and civilian society,’ he writes. 

‘It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part.’

He also blasted the ‘bizarre photo-up’ that Trump ordered up, as federal police backed up by National Guard cleared away peaceful protesters in Lafayette Park.

‘When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution,’ writes Mattis. ‘Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.’

Mattis indicated when he resigned his post that he felt an obligation to keep comments to himself. ‘There is a period in which I owe my silence. It’s not eternal. It’s not going to be forever,’ he said at the time.

Esper was fighting for his job Wednesday even as authorities seek to gain control of the nation’s streets – as he contradicted President Donald Trump on use of a special military authority and the Army announced a sudden reversal on a plan to start withdrawing active duty troops from around Washington.

 The day featured sudden turnarounds and contradicting explanations about a photo-op that both Esper and the president joined in on Monday, with no clear plan about how regular military, National Guard forces, local police, and outside forces are coalescing to attempt to maintain order.

About 200 members of the Army’s 82nd Airborne division were to have departed the D.C. region on Wednesday – only to have the order suddenly reversed after Esper paid a visit to the White House following a morning press conference where he tried to distance himself from the infamous photo-op at St. John’s church Monday. 

The the change came after Esper’s White House meeting and internal discussions at the Pentagon, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told the Associated Press in an on-record statement.

It came came hours after a 10 am order to draw down some of the 1,600 forces – including infantry members – who had been positioned outside Washington, D.C., and after the White House declined to say Trump had confidence in Esper, who succeeded ‘acting’ secretaries and who himself filled such a role after the departure of Gen. James Mattis.

Esper told reporters Wednesday he was opposed to invoking the 1807 Insurrection Act to send the U.S. military to impose control of cities – even as the president talked tough on Twitter and ordered an infantry battalion to Washington, D.C.

It was a statement that caught the White House off guard at a time President Trump is brandishing his maximum authority – and could put Esper’s job in jeopardy.

Esper made the public statement of opposition to the idea after the White House publicly floated it on Monday – and after the administration took heat for the use of tear gas and rubber bullets to clear protesters out of Lafayette Park just before Esper joined President Donald Trump at a photo-op.

The decision to maintain the force that had been flown into the region comes even as protests overnight Tuesday were calmer then they were the night of the Lafayette Park incident.

It came as it was revealed that Maryland and Virginia governors had refused to send their national groups to the nation’s capital, which has a longstanding struggle over home-rule with federal authorities.

Trump loyalist Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would send 500 guard troops. 

Esper also sought to back away from the photo-op itself, saying that while he knew he would be going to the church, he thought he would be visiting troops. He ended up posing with Trump and officials including Attorney General Bill Barr, who the White House said ordered the action Monday morning, only to discover it hadn’t occurred hours later.

‘What I was not aware of was exactly where we were going when we arrived at the church and what the plans were once we got there,’ Esper said. He also tried to walk-back a comment that referred to U.S. cities as ‘battle-space.’ ‘In retrospect I would use different wording’ he said of his conference call with Trump and governors,’ he said.  

Just hours after he spoke at the Pentagon, Defense officials said some of the active duty military troops flown into the Washington region to deal with civil unrest were being sent home.

About 200 members of the 82nd Airborne were to depart the region Wednesday, officials told the Associated Press. They are among a group of 1,600 infantry and military police being held at basis in Maryland and Virginia outside Washington, after President Trump repeatedly urged use of military force to regain control of city streets across the country.

Esper made his public comments while facing ratcheting political pressure. ‘I say this not only as secretary of defense, but also as a former soldier and a former member of the National Guard,’ Esper told reporters at a Pentagon press conference as he announced his position.

‘The option to use active duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort and only in the most urgent and dire of situations,’ he said.

‘We are not in one of those situations now. I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act,’ he added. 

Esper’s public rebellion raised immediate questions inside the White House over how long he can survive.

 ‘As of right now secretary Esper is still Secretary Esper, and should the president lose faith we will all learn about that in the future,’ white House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said when asked if Trump still has confidence in him. 

McEnany was asked if Esper had made his views on the Insurrection Act known to the president before his public statement, as well as whether Trump had confidence in him. 

‘Not that I’m aware of in terms of expressing his opinion,’ she responded. ‘And I wouldn’t get into the private conversations that went on here in the White House. And with regard to whether the president has confidence, I would say if he loses confidence in Secretary Esper I’m sure you all will be the first to know,’ she said.  

McEnany referred to the Insurrection Act – which Esper argued publicly against – as a ‘tool’ the president could use.

‘The president has the sole authority to invoke the Insurrection Act. It is definitely a tool within his power. This president has one singular aim, it is protecting america’s streets. We cannot have burning churches,’ she said, referencing the damage to St. John’s on Sunday night. 

‘The Insurrection Act is a tool available,’ she said.

Esper also defended the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Army General Mark Milley, for walking around the White House dressed in combat uniform, saying it was ‘appropriate,’ after a series of retired generals voice anger at both men’s conduct and warned they were politicizing the military.

Esper, a former member of the D.C. National Guard, spoke hours after the Pentagon announced the composition of active-duty forces being dispatched to Washington, D.C. – but just after he spoke, some of those federal troops were ordered home amid signs of mounting concern inside the senior military ranks at their involvement in the capital.

A total of 1,600 forces were moved to bases in the area as a ‘prudent planning measure in response to ongoing support to civil authorities operations,’ the Pentagon said.

‘The Department of Defense moved multiple active duty Army units into the National Capitol Region as a The Secretary of Defense authorized the movement of an infantry battalion designated Task Force 504, assigned to the Army’s Immediate Response Force based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina,’ it said in a statement.

His public statement comes despite a report by the New York Times that Esper favored use of the Act, as did Vice President Mike Pence. The paper reported that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley was against the idea, believing he had enough Guard troops in place to provide support. Attorney General Bill Barr, who reportedly authorized the clearing of the park, favored deferring to states’ rights on the issue, the paper reported. 

Esper made the statement at a press conference where he also claimed he had no idea where he was going when Trump led members of his administration on a walk to St. John’s Episcopal Church for a controversial photo shoot.

He also insisted he had ‘no idea’ that force would be used to clear out peaceful protesters ahead of the staged trip. 

The performance may not have gone over well at the White House. President Trump was ‘not happy’ with it, CNN reported – after Esper put distance between himself and the White House both on the photo-op and on the Insurrection Act.

Even as Esper cautioned against exercising the authority to use military troops at home, Trump continued to broadcast his ‘law and order’ posture on Twitter. The Pentagon’s Northern Command also dispatched troops from the 16th Military Police Brigade headquarters from Fort Bragg and the 91st Military Police Battalion from Fort Drum, New York.

Esper’s blunt opposition to using the Insurrection Act came amid some signs of new success by police in gaining order. Events on the street were calmer in New York City on the second night of a curfew officials imposed after looting in Manhattan.

Last night we took a step forward in moving out of this difficult period we’ve had the last few days and moving to a better time,’ Mayor Bill de Blasio said. 

The NYPD  blocking 5,000 protesters from entering Manhattan by holding them up on the Manhattan Bridge after a standoff, making 280 arrests.

Trump claimed on Tuesday that the city was ‘totally out of control’. On Wednesday, he said the National Guard was ‘ready’. 

There was also more calm in Washington, D.C., where law enforcement installed a new security fence after clearing Lafayette Square. Thousands marched on the White House and the U.S. Capitol, but there was less tension and there was not a repeat of a rash of vandalism that ocrurred Sunday night. 

A large gathering of peaceful protesters booed a man who ripped down a 16th Street sign near the White House, at the spot where police moved on another batch of peaceful protesters Monday.

Trump demanded Wednesday that police ‘get tough’ after a sixth night of nation-wide protests – but privately, the president is backing off his plan to send in federal troops to stifle rioters.

While President Trump launched a more than 35-tweet tirade Wednesday morning, in part claiming that the violent protesters are ‘domestic terrorists,’ he also abandoned his idea to dispatch the military after officials claimed local governments should take charge, the Associated Press reported.

Trump told members of his cabinet over the last week that he wants to send the military into American cities – a proposal that led to a heated yelling-match between those supporting the notion and those opposed. 

Vice President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary Mark Esper supported the idea, claiming it would give the federal government quicker control over the situation than if it were to take over and activate the National Guard.

Attorney General Bill Barr and Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, however, warned against the plan.

Barr was concerned with infringing on states’ rights if the military were deployed to different cities across the country facing riots and Gen. Milley assured the president he had enough force in D.C. to secure the city.

He also did not want to put active-duty military in such a domestic role.

The divide over the plan grew tentious during the Monday morning discussion as administration officials began raising their voices at one another, according to The New York Times. 

Trump finally decided to break with his original plan and instead opted for a stunt where law enforcement dispersed protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets from Lafayette Park, across from the North Lawn of the White House.

After protesters were cleared, the president walked across the park to St. John’s Episcapol church, which was set on fire in riots Sunday night, for a photo-op with his bible and members of his cabinet.

Administration officials privately acknowledged Monday’s events did not do the administration any justice.

Even some Republican lawmakers who are typically in sync with the president said Trump went too far in using force to clear the way for his less than five-minute visit to the church.

‘There is no right to riot, no right to destroy others’ property, and no right to throw rocks at police,’ Nebraska Republican Senator Ben Sasse said. ‘But there is a fundamental — a constitutional — right to protest, and I’m against clearing out a peaceful protest for a photo op that treats the Word of God as a political prop.’

On Tuesday, a senior White House official said the president wanted to make the aggressive action an example for the rest of the country.

Despite his decision not to deploy the military, Trump continued to insist that ‘The National Guard is ready!’ on Twitter Wednesday.

He has continuously urged governors to activate the National Guard in their states so cities destroyed by rioters could be policed by the Army reservist unit.

Trump shared images of his Twitter of Fifth Avenue in New York City boarding up all of its high-end businesses after several were looted and destroyed in riots in the past week as he again promoted activating the National Guard.

‘LAW & ORDER!’ he urged in another tweet . 

President Trump claimed Wednesday that protesters are acting as ‘domestic terrorists’ and told law enforcement to ‘get tough’ on rioters.

‘CNN says there are some fine people marching with the looters and domestic terrorists,’ Trump shared in a retweet from comic strip creator and satire author Scott Adams.

He also urged in another tweet: ‘Get tough police!’ after law enforcement in Milwaukee, Wisconsin revealed Tuesday night that violent protesters threw molotov cocktails at their force. 

‘Molotov cocktails are lethal force, and from their very origins, a ‘weapon of war’ (thanks Finland!),’ Buck Sexton, who formerly worked for the CIA and NYPD Intelligence Division, wrote on Twitter – and the president shared to his profile.

‘If you throw a Molotov cocktail at police, you should spend a very long time in prison,’ Sexton, who now hosts a podcast, continued. 

The Twitter tirade from Trump comes after a sixth night of violent protests broke out across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death – and the president is seeking to make the use of force in Washington, D.C an example for other cities experiencing mayhem. 

Defense officials revealed that Trump, before abandoning the plan, considered using ‘tanks’ or other armored military vehicles to help restore order, and threatened to deploy active duty military across the country to quell the unrest. 

The revelation of a more ‘dominating’ approach to taking control of the streets of D.C. comes as 700 soldiers dressed in riot gear and armed with bayonets arrived at two military bases near Washington on Tuesday evening.

Another 1,400 were also brought in and prepared to mobilize as the nation’s capital braced for another night of chaos.

Hundreds of members of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division were called earlier after Trump promised a more aggressive approach on the violence and riots unfolding across the country.

Defense officials told the Associated Press that the U.S. Military and National Guard were operating under the mission name ‘Operation Themis’ – named after the titaness of divine law and order.

Trump asserted Monday evening in a Rose Garden address to the nation that he is America’s ‘law and order president.’ 

As Trump made the remarks on Monday, law enforcement officials were pushing out hundreds of protesters from Washington’s Lafayette Park, ahead of the district’s 7:00 p.m. curfew.

A senior White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, revealed on Tuesday that Trump hoped to make the aggressive action in Washington an example for the rest of the country.

On Monday night, military helicopters also hovered over demonstrators in a tactic to disperse the crowds.

Two Pentagon officials also told AP that the president had ordered military aircraft to fly above the capital as a ‘show of force’ against violent protesters. 

They did not say how many or what type of aircraft had been mobilized.

Videos and photographs posted on social media showed helicopters flying low over buildings and hovering just above groups who were on the street despite a district-wide curfew.

Law enforcement paired the tactic with heavy use of tear gas, pellets and chemical spray as protesters marched toward the White House.

Trump’s tactics were decried on Tuesday by some fellow Republicans as well as his presumptive Democratic opponent Joe Biden. 

Show-of-force missions are designed to intimidate and, in combat zones, warn opposing forces of potential military action if provoked. 

Three senior defense officials also told The Daily Beast that the idea of deploying military forces was being pushed by the White House, not the Pentagon.

The sources revealed Trump consulted with aides about using military vehicles or ‘the kind of hardware’ used by the armed forces, to help bring the chaos under control.

One official said Trump did not specifically order ‘tanks’ to patrol the streets, but said he mentioned it in discussions because ‘I think that is just one of the military words he knows’. 

It comes as 700 soldiers dressed in riot gear and armed with bayonets arrived at two military bases near Washington on Tuesday evening, while another 1,400 are preparing to mobilize, as the nation’s capital braces for another night of chaos. 

Hundreds of members of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division were called earlier after Trump promised a more aggressive approach on the violence and riots unfolding across the country. 

Defense officials told AP the US military and National Guard were operating under the mission name ‘Operation Themis’ – named after the titaness of divine law and order.      

Moments after the historic Lafayette Park was cleared of protesters on Monday, Trump walked across to pose with a Bible in front of a church damaged by fire during protests the previous evening.

He hoped his personal walk to the church would send a message about how dominant force could restore law and order, sources said. 

‘D.C. had no problems last night. Many arrests. Great job done by all. Overwhelming force. Domination,’ Trump tweeted Tuesday, after a night in which heavily armed military forces and federal officers swarmed the city. 

Trump added: ‘(thank you President Trump!).’ 

In an evening address in the Rose Garden on Monday, Trump called on governors to ramp up the National Guard presence in their states to tamp down the protests.

 If they didn’t abide by those orders, Trump said, he would dispatch the military to their states – a step rarely taken in modern American history. 

‘SILENT MAJORITY!’ Trump tweeted Tuesday, embracing a phrase popularized by President Richard Nixon decades ago, in claiming broad support for his actions. Trump also emphasized the political importance of the moment to his supporters on Twitter and declared that ‘My Admin has done more for the Black Community than any President since Abraham Lincoln.’

The District of Columbia’s federal status gives the president outsized authority to act, allowing him to direct the deployment of the National Guard. 

He authorized Attorney General William Barr to oversee a surge in the deployment of federal law enforcement officers, including the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team and agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sought to distance themselves from Monday night’s events after former military officials criticized their appearance with the president. 

Senior defense officials told reporters the two were not aware that the Park Police and law enforcement had made a decision to clear the square or that Trump intended to visit the church. 

They had been in Washington to coordinate with federal law enforcement officials but were diverted to the White House to brief Trump on military preparations, the officials said.

Former Defense Secretary James Mattis has broken months of silence and penned an op-ed where he denounces Donald Trump’s leadership and endorses the aims of the protesters.

Mattis condemned the flexing of military might against protests he calls a legitimate response to demands for equal justice. He writes that his former commander in chief is incapable of healing the nation.

‘Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us,’ Mattis writes in the Atlantic.

The decorated veteran even compares Trump’s tactics of seeking to ‘divide’ the nation to that of the Nazis.

‘Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that ‘The Nazi slogan for destroying us … was ‘Divide and Conquer,’ he writes. ‘Our American answer is ‘In Union there is Strength.’ We must summon that unity to surmount this crisis—confident that we are better than our politics.’ 

His statement about Trump seeking to divide the nation immediately follows. 

‘We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society,’ he continues.

He pointedly takes on Trump’s photo-op Monday, where the president brandished a bible in front of St. John’s church. He writes that he is  ‘angry and appalled’ by unfolding events.

‘We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Square. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution. At the same time, we must remember Lincoln’s “better angels,” and listen to them, as we work to unite,’ Mattis wrote.

He called for unity and calm. ‘This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.’ 

His blistering article comes as other former military officials, including former head of the joint chiefs of staff Admiral Mike Mullen, blasted Trump for seeking to ‘politicize’ the military.

Mattis also wholeheartedly backs those marching for changes to U.S. policing after the death of George Floyd, who is black, at the hands of a white police officer – even singling out a ‘small number of lawbreakers’ who have undertaken property damage, which left a swath of buildings in downtown D.C. with shattered windows.

‘It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation,’ writes Mattis.

He also blasts a comment by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, whose job is already in jeopardy, for his comment calling for governors to ‘dominate the battlespace’ in U.S. cities.

‘We must reject any thinking of our cities as a ‘battlespace’ that our uniformed military is called upon to ‘dominate.’ At home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by state governors. Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict—a false conflict—between the military and civilian society,’ he writes. 

‘It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part.’

He also blasted the ‘bizarre photo-up’ that Trump ordered up, as federal police backed up by National Guard cleared away peaceful protesters in Lafayette Park.

‘When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution,’ writes Mattis. ‘Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.’

Mattis indicated when he resigned his post that he felt an obligation to keep comments to himself. ‘There is a period in which I owe my silence. It’s not eternal. It’s not going to be forever,’ he said at the time.

Esper was fighting for his job Wednesday even as authorities seek to gain control of the nation’s streets – as he contradicted President Donald Trump on use of a special military authority and the Army announced a sudden reversal on a plan to start withdrawing active duty troops from around Washington.

 The day featured sudden turnarounds and contradicting explanations about a photo-op that both Esper and the president joined in on Monday, with no clear plan about how regular military, National Guard forces, local police, and outside forces are coalescing to attempt to maintain order.

About 200 members of the Army’s 82nd Airborne division were to have departed the D.C. region on Wednesday – only to have the order suddenly reversed after Esper paid a visit to the White House following a morning press conference where he tried to distance himself from the infamous photo-op at St. John’s church Monday. 

The the change came after Esper’s White House meeting and internal discussions at the Pentagon, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told the Associated Press in an on-record statement.

It came came hours after a 10 am order to draw down some of the 1,600 forces – including infantry members – who had been positioned outside Washington, D.C., and after the White House declined to say Trump had confidence in Esper, who succeeded ‘acting’ secretaries and who himself filled such a role after the departure of Gen. James Mattis.

Esper told reporters Wednesday he was opposed to invoking the 1807 Insurrection Act to send the U.S. military to impose control of cities – even as the president talked tough on Twitter and ordered an infantry battalion to Washington, D.C.

It was a statement that caught the White House off guard at a time President Trump is brandishing his maximum authority – and could put Esper’s job in jeopardy.

Esper made the public statement of opposition to the idea after the White House publicly floated it on Monday – and after the administration took heat for the use of tear gas and rubber bullets to clear protesters out of Lafayette Park just before Esper joined President Donald Trump at a photo-op.

The decision to maintain the force that had been flown into the region comes even as protests overnight Tuesday were calmer then they were the night of the Lafayette Park incident.

It came as it was revealed that Maryland and Virginia governors had refused to send their national groups to the nation’s capital, which has a longstanding struggle over home-rule with federal authorities.

Trump loyalist Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would send 500 guard troops. 

Esper also sought to back away from the photo-op itself, saying that while he knew he would be going to the church, he thought he would be visiting troops. He ended up posing with Trump and officials including Attorney General Bill Barr, who the White House said ordered the action Monday morning, only to discover it hadn’t occurred hours later.

‘What I was not aware of was exactly where we were going when we arrived at the church and what the plans were once we got there,’ Esper said. He also tried to walk-back a comment that referred to U.S. cities as ‘battle-space.’ ‘In retrospect I would use different wording’ he said of his conference call with Trump and governors,’ he said.  

Just hours after he spoke at the Pentagon, Defense officials said some of the active duty military troops flown into the Washington region to deal with civil unrest were being sent home.

About 200 members of the 82nd Airborne were to depart the region Wednesday, officials told the Associated Press. They are among a group of 1,600 infantry and military police being held at basis in Maryland and Virginia outside Washington, after President Trump repeatedly urged use of military force to regain control of city streets across the country.

Esper made his public comments while facing ratcheting political pressure. ‘I say this not only as secretary of defense, but also as a former soldier and a former member of the National Guard,’ Esper told reporters at a Pentagon press conference as he announced his position.

‘The option to use active duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort and only in the most urgent and dire of situations,’ he said.

‘We are not in one of those situations now. I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act,’ he added. 

Esper’s public rebellion raised immediate questions inside the White House over how long he can survive.

 ‘As of right now secretary Esper is still Secretary Esper, and should the president lose faith we will all learn about that in the future,’ white House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said when asked if Trump still has confidence in him. 

McEnany was asked if Esper had made his views on the Insurrection Act known to the president before his public statement, as well as whether Trump had confidence in him. 

‘Not that I’m aware of in terms of expressing his opinion,’ she responded. ‘And I wouldn’t get into the private conversations that went on here in the White House. And with regard to whether the president has confidence, I would say if he loses confidence in Secretary Esper I’m sure you all will be the first to know,’ she said.  

McEnany referred to the Insurrection Act – which Esper argued publicly against – as a ‘tool’ the president could use.

‘The president has the sole authority to invoke the Insurrection Act. It is definitely a tool within his power. This president has one singular aim, it is protecting america’s streets. We cannot have burning churches,’ she said, referencing the damage to St. John’s on Sunday night. 

‘The Insurrection Act is a tool available,’ she said.

Esper also defended the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Army General Mark Milley, for walking around the White House dressed in combat uniform, saying it was ‘appropriate,’ after a series of retired generals voice anger at both men’s conduct and warned they were politicizing the military.

Esper, a former member of the D.C. National Guard, spoke hours after the Pentagon announced the composition of active-duty forces being dispatched to Washington, D.C. – but just after he spoke, some of those federal troops were ordered home amid signs of mounting concern inside the senior military ranks at their involvement in the capital.

A total of 1,600 forces were moved to bases in the area as a ‘prudent planning measure in response to ongoing support to civil authorities operations,’ the Pentagon said.

‘The Department of Defense moved multiple active duty Army units into the National Capitol Region as a The Secretary of Defense authorized the movement of an infantry battalion designated Task Force 504, assigned to the Army’s Immediate Response Force based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina,’ it said in a statement.

His public statement comes despite a report by the New York Times that Esper favored use of the Act, as did Vice President Mike Pence. The paper reported that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley was against the idea, believing he had enough Guard troops in place to provide support. Attorney General Bill Barr, who reportedly authorized the clearing of the park, favored deferring to states’ rights on the issue, the paper reported. 

Esper made the statement at a press conference where he also claimed he had no idea where he was going when Trump led members of his administration on a walk to St. John’s Episcopal Church for a controversial photo shoot.

He also insisted he had ‘no idea’ that force would be used to clear out peaceful protesters ahead of the staged trip. 

The performance may not have gone over well at the White House. President Trump was ‘not happy’ with it, CNN reported – after Esper put distance between himself and the White House both on the photo-op and on the Insurrection Act.

Even as Esper cautioned against exercising the authority to use military troops at home, Trump continued to broadcast his ‘law and order’ posture on Twitter. The Pentagon’s Northern Command also dispatched troops from the 16th Military Police Brigade headquarters from Fort Bragg and the 91st Military Police Battalion from Fort Drum, New York.

Esper’s blunt opposition to using the Insurrection Act came amid some signs of new success by police in gaining order. Events on the street were calmer in New York City on the second night of a curfew officials imposed after looting in Manhattan.

Last night we took a step forward in moving out of this difficult period we’ve had the last few days and moving to a better time,’ Mayor Bill de Blasio said. 

The NYPD  blocking 5,000 protesters from entering Manhattan by holding them up on the Manhattan Bridge after a standoff, making 280 arrests.

Trump claimed on Tuesday that the city was ‘totally out of control’. On Wednesday, he said the National Guard was ‘ready’. 

There was also more calm in Washington, D.C., where law enforcement installed a new security fence after clearing Lafayette Square. Thousands marched on the White House and the U.S. Capitol, but there was less tension and there was not a repeat of a rash of vandalism that ocrurred Sunday night. 

A large gathering of peaceful protesters booed a man who ripped down a 16th Street sign near the White House, at the spot where police moved on another batch of peaceful protesters Monday.

Trump demanded Wednesday that police ‘get tough’ after a sixth night of nation-wide protests – but privately, the president is backing off his plan to send in federal troops to stifle rioters.

While President Trump launched a more than 35-tweet tirade Wednesday morning, in part claiming that the violent protesters are ‘domestic terrorists,’ he also abandoned his idea to dispatch the military after officials claimed local governments should take charge, the Associated Press reported.

Trump told members of his cabinet over the last week that he wants to send the military into American cities – a proposal that led to a heated yelling-match between those supporting the notion and those opposed. 

Vice President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary Mark Esper supported the idea, claiming it would give the federal government quicker control over the situation than if it were to take over and activate the National Guard.

Attorney General Bill Barr and Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, however, warned against the plan.

Barr was concerned with infringing on states’ rights if the military were deployed to different cities across the country facing riots and Gen. Milley assured the president he had enough force in D.C. to secure the city.

He also did not want to put active-duty military in such a domestic role.

The divide over the plan grew tentious during the Monday morning discussion as administration officials began raising their voices at one another, according to The New York Times. 

Trump finally decided to break with his original plan and instead opted for a stunt where law enforcement dispersed protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets from Lafayette Park, across from the North Lawn of the White House.

After protesters were cleared, the president walked across the park to St. John’s Episcapol church, which was set on fire in riots Sunday night, for a photo-op with his bible and members of his cabinet.

Administration officials privately acknowledged Monday’s events did not do the administration any justice.

Even some Republican lawmakers who are typically in sync with the president said Trump went too far in using force to clear the way for his less than five-minute visit to the church.

‘There is no right to riot, no right to destroy others’ property, and no right to throw rocks at police,’ Nebraska Republican Senator Ben Sasse said. ‘But there is a fundamental — a constitutional — right to protest, and I’m against clearing out a peaceful protest for a photo op that treats the Word of God as a political prop.’

On Tuesday, a senior White House official said the president wanted to make the aggressive action an example for the rest of the country.

Despite his decision not to deploy the military, Trump continued to insist that ‘The National Guard is ready!’ on Twitter Wednesday.

He has continuously urged governors to activate the National Guard in their states so cities destroyed by rioters could be policed by the Army reservist unit.

Trump shared images of his Twitter of Fifth Avenue in New York City boarding up all of its high-end businesses after several were looted and destroyed in riots in the past week as he again promoted activating the National Guard.

‘LAW & ORDER!’ he urged in another tweet . 

President Trump claimed Wednesday that protesters are acting as ‘domestic terrorists’ and told law enforcement to ‘get tough’ on rioters.

‘CNN says there are some fine people marching with the looters and domestic terrorists,’ Trump shared in a retweet from comic strip creator and satire author Scott Adams.

He also urged in another tweet: ‘Get tough police!’ after law enforcement in Milwaukee, Wisconsin revealed Tuesday night that violent protesters threw molotov cocktails at their force. 

‘Molotov cocktails are lethal force, and from their very origins, a ‘weapon of war’ (thanks Finland!),’ Buck Sexton, who formerly worked for the CIA and NYPD Intelligence Division, wrote on Twitter – and the president shared to his profile.

‘If you throw a Molotov cocktail at police, you should spend a very long time in prison,’ Sexton, who now hosts a podcast, continued. 

The Twitter tirade from Trump comes after a sixth night of violent protests broke out across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death – and the president is seeking to make the use of force in Washington, D.C an example for other cities experiencing mayhem. 

Defense officials revealed that Trump, before abandoning the plan, considered using ‘tanks’ or other armored military vehicles to help restore order, and threatened to deploy active duty military across the country to quell the unrest. 

The revelation of a more ‘dominating’ approach to taking control of the streets of D.C. comes as 700 soldiers dressed in riot gear and armed with bayonets arrived at two military bases near Washington on Tuesday evening.

Another 1,400 were also brought in and prepared to mobilize as the nation’s capital braced for another night of chaos.

Hundreds of members of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division were called earlier after Trump promised a more aggressive approach on the violence and riots unfolding across the country.

Defense officials told the Associated Press that the U.S. Military and National Guard were operating under the mission name ‘Operation Themis’ – named after the titaness of divine law and order.

Trump asserted Monday evening in a Rose Garden address to the nation that he is America’s ‘law and order president.’ 

As Trump made the remarks on Monday, law enforcement officials were pushing out hundreds of protesters from Washington’s Lafayette Park, ahead of the district’s 7:00 p.m. curfew.

A senior White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, revealed on Tuesday that Trump hoped to make the aggressive action in Washington an example for the rest of the country.

On Monday night, military helicopters also hovered over demonstrators in a tactic to disperse the crowds.

Two Pentagon officials also told AP that the president had ordered military aircraft to fly above the capital as a ‘show of force’ against violent protesters. 

They did not say how many or what type of aircraft had been mobilized.

Videos and photographs posted on social media showed helicopters flying low over buildings and hovering just above groups who were on the street despite a district-wide curfew.

Law enforcement paired the tactic with heavy use of tear gas, pellets and chemical spray as protesters marched toward the White House.

Trump’s tactics were decried on Tuesday by some fellow Republicans as well as his presumptive Democratic opponent Joe Biden. 

Show-of-force missions are designed to intimidate and, in combat zones, warn opposing forces of potential military action if provoked. 

Three senior defense officials also told The Daily Beast that the idea of deploying military forces was being pushed by the White House, not the Pentagon.

The sources revealed Trump consulted with aides about using military vehicles or ‘the kind of hardware’ used by the armed forces, to help bring the chaos under control.

One official said Trump did not specifically order ‘tanks’ to patrol the streets, but said he mentioned it in discussions because ‘I think that is just one of the military words he knows’. 

It comes as 700 soldiers dressed in riot gear and armed with bayonets arrived at two military bases near Washington on Tuesday evening, while another 1,400 are preparing to mobilize, as the nation’s capital braces for another night of chaos. 

Hundreds of members of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division were called earlier after Trump promised a more aggressive approach on the violence and riots unfolding across the country. 

Defense officials told AP the US military and National Guard were operating under the mission name ‘Operation Themis’ – named after the titaness of divine law and order.      

Moments after the historic Lafayette Park was cleared of protesters on Monday, Trump walked across to pose with a Bible in front of a church damaged by fire during protests the previous evening.

He hoped his personal walk to the church would send a message about how dominant force could restore law and order, sources said. 

‘D.C. had no problems last night. Many arrests. Great job done by all. Overwhelming force. Domination,’ Trump tweeted Tuesday, after a night in which heavily armed military forces and federal officers swarmed the city. 

Trump added: ‘(thank you President Trump!).’ 

In an evening address in the Rose Garden on Monday, Trump called on governors to ramp up the National Guard presence in their states to tamp down the protests.

 If they didn’t abide by those orders, Trump said, he would dispatch the military to their states – a step rarely taken in modern American history. 

‘SILENT MAJORITY!’ Trump tweeted Tuesday, embracing a phrase popularized by President Richard Nixon decades ago, in claiming broad support for his actions. Trump also emphasized the political importance of the moment to his supporters on Twitter and declared that ‘My Admin has done more for the Black Community than any President since Abraham Lincoln.’

The District of Columbia’s federal status gives the president outsized authority to act, allowing him to direct the deployment of the National Guard. 

He authorized Attorney General William Barr to oversee a surge in the deployment of federal law enforcement officers, including the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team and agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sought to distance themselves from Monday night’s events after former military officials criticized their appearance with the president. 

Senior defense officials told reporters the two were not aware that the Park Police and law enforcement had made a decision to clear the square or that Trump intended to visit the church. 

They had been in Washington to coordinate with federal law enforcement officials but were diverted to the White House to brief Trump on military preparations, the officials said.

President Donald Trump declared himself the ‘law and order president’ Monday night as law enforcement officials used rubber bullets, tear gas and officers on horse back to clear out protesters so Trump could walk to an historic church across from the White House for a photo-op.

‘I am your president of law and order,’ Trump said in the Rose Garden as the split screen on televisions across the nation showed peaceful protesters being fired upon and cleared out 30 minutes before Washington D.C.’s curfew went into affect. 

‘The biggest victims of the rioting are peace loving citizens in our poorest communities, and as they are president, I will fight to keep them safe. I will fight to protect you. I am your president of law and order and an ally of all peaceful protesters,’ Trump said in brief remarks. As he spoke helicopters circled over head and booming sounds could be heard. 

Armed offices on horse back cleared protesters from around the White House so the president could walk across Lafayette Park to pay his respects to St. John’s Church, the historic chapel across from the White House known as the president’s church. It suffered damage in Sunday night’s protest.

‘If the city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residence, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them,’ the president said. 

Immediately after he finished his remarks, he left the White House to walk to the church that was threatened with fire Sunday night. He walked across the cleared out park surrounded by aides and Secret Service agents.

Before the president spoke in the Rose Garden, Attorney General Bill Barr spoke to law enforcement officials in the park and then left to return to the White House. Shortly after Barr left, the protesters were cleared, shouting ‘don’t shoot’ as officials closed in on horseback and on foot. Tear gas poured down on them and rubber bullets were shot into the crowd.

With the path cleared, Trump took a short walk on a beautiful D.C. night to stand in front of the church, holding up a bible. ‘I am going to pay my respects to a very, very special place,’ he said before his walk over. 

He was joined by Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Barr, National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, Defense Secretary  Mark Esper, and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany – all of whom joined him in front of the church to get their picture taken.

Trump was followed by a huge Secret Service entourage and some of the most prominent members of his administration, including daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Others in the cavalcade, which picked its way past ‘FTP’ graffiti and discarded protesters’ belongings, included Pat Cipollone, the White House Counsel who led Trump’s impeachment defense on the floor of the Senate; Dan Scavino, his golf-caddy turned director of social media; adviser Hope Hicks; and Alyssa Farah, the White House director of communications.

Trump was also accompanied by Army General Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was in combat uniform, not the dress uniform usually expected of senior officers around the president.

Trump spent less than five minutes in front of the church, long enough to declare ‘greatest country in the world.’ And we’re going to keep it safe.’

A fire burned in the basement of St. John’s Church Sunday night but the chapel was not affected. The church was boarded up during the protests.

During his remarks in the Rose Garden, Trump made reference to the 1807 Insurrection Act and said he would deploy the U.S. military even in the cases where governors don’t seek to call out the National Guard – although he didn’t name it explicitly.

He spoke after truckloads full of D.C. Guard members were spotted south of the White House. The military was also sending troops from Fort Bragg in North Carolina and possibly Fort Belvoir in Virginia, NBC News reported.

“If a city or state refuses to take the actions necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them,’ Trump said in the Rose Garden, where bangs and tear gas canister firings punctuated his remarks.

‘I am mobilizing all federal and local resources, civilian and military, to protect the rights of law abiding Americans,’ Trump said.

In a state, a governor can activate National Guard troops in response to an emergency. In the case of Washington, D.C., the Secretary of the Army has the authority to dispatch forces – as happened both Sunday to help impose an 11pm curfew and on Monday, when the mayor moved it up to 7 pm after a night of more protests, property destruction, and confrontations between police and protesters.

The federal Posse Comitatus statute prohibits the use of the Army and the Navy as a force inside the country.

The White House says Trump can also call on another authority – the 1807 Insurrection act, which was amended in 2006 and allows the president to use the guard to ‘suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy if such insurrection, violation, combination, or conspiracy results in a condition’ that ‘hinders the execution of the laws of a State.’

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said it was one of the authorities being looked at.

Trump, after walking past graffiti-strewn maintenance building and standing in front of St. John’s, didn’t respond to shouted questions about whether the nation was facing an insurgency, or whether he cleared out Lafayette Park for a photo-op.

He warned residents of Washington D.C. he would take the tough action after they had surrounded the White House every evening since Friday night. On Friday night, the first night the protests grew in size, Secret Service agents rushed Trump into the White House bunker and held him there for several minutes as a safety precaution.

‘What happened in the city last night was a total disgrace. As we speak, I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel, and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults, and the wanton destruction of property. We are putting everybody on warning on a 7:00 curfew that will be strictly enforced,’ Trump said in his Rose Garden remarks.  

Trump attempted to regain control of the situation with his strongly-worded remarks, vow to use force to end the protests and his walk to the church for a photo-op. Scenes from protesters around the country have filled American TV screens in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man in Minnesota who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes. Floyd’s death was ruled a homicide and the officer, Derek Chauvin, was charged with his murder.

Both Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker and New York’s Andrew Cuomo immediately rejected Trump’s demand, both telling CNN they would not agree to the deployment of active-duty troops in their states, which include New York City and Chicago. Cuomo also slammed Trump for having protesters – who he said were ‘young, and mostly white’ – out of his path to ‘pose with a Bible’ and Prtizker accused him of making the country more dangerous. ‘He has got to go,’ the Illinois governor said. 

Cuomo said: ‘I was shocked at what they did. I was shocked to see the force used to move protesters who could not have been more peaceful. Calling out the American military for a photo opportunity. It was shameful. Shameful.’

Trump gave governors an early warning of what he had planned, telling them earlier in the day, during a video conference from the Situation Room, that they are ‘weak’ and need to ‘dominate’ cities ravaged by riots or they will look like ‘jerks.’ 

‘You have to dominate, if you don’t dominate you’re wasting your time. They’re going to run over you, you’re going to look like a bunch of jerks. You have to dominate,’ audio of the call revealed.

‘The only time it’s successful is when you’re weak and most of you are weak,’ he added, CNN reported, claiming that if governors and local leaders were more tough on rioters, there would be less destruction of their major cities.

‘You’ve got to arrest people, you have to track people, you have to put them in jail for 10 years and you’ll never see this stuff again,’ Trump said during the 55-minute call. ‘We’re doing it in Washington, D.C. We’re going to do something that people haven’t seen before.’ 

‘You’re making a mistake because you’re making yourselves look like fools,’ he continued later in the call, claiming that they need to activate more National Guard support as a show of force on city streets.’And some have done a great job. But a lot of you, it’s not – it’s not a great day for our country.’

The president also threatened to deploy the 101st Airborne Division of the Army to provide ‘backup’ to cities ravaged by the riots.

The president made this message by endorsing a statement made by Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton: ‘100% Correct. Thank you Tom!’

Cotton wrote on Monday, ‘Anarchy, rioting, and looting needs to end tonight.’

‘If local law enforcement is overwhelmed and needs backup, let’s see how tough these Antifa terrorists are when they’re facing off with the 101st Airborne Division,’ he continued in the tweet. ‘We need to have zero tolerance for this destruction.’

Trump has pushed for governors to activate the National Guard in there states and has not yet formally addressed the nation since the unrest began.

He did say during his call with governors Monday that he is putting Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley ‘in charge.’ 

The call happened after a weekend in which:

• It emerged Trump was whisked to a bunker while protesters descended on the White House Friday night, throwing Molotov cocktails and injuring 50 Secret Service agents
• A protester was reportedly shot dead in Louisville, Kentucky Sunday night
• Mayor Bill de Blasio’s daughter was arrested at a protest in New York City Sunday 
• An armed vigilante in California pulled a gun on rioters who tried to hold up a bank 
• Across the country, peaceful protesters tried to stop violent opportunists from ransacking stores 
• In Louisville, protesters formed a human chain to protect one cop who became separated from his unit and outnumbered by crowds 
• Other cops dropped to their knees in shows of solidarity with protesters and some abandoned riot gear to march with crowds peacefully 
• In Minneapolis, a tanker plowed through crowds of protesters on a highway; he was then pulled from the rig and beaten by crowds 

The president did not clarify what he meant during his rant to the state leaders, specifically if he was planning to deploy the military to quell protests – and White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany did not clear up the comments during a press briefing Monday afternoon.

‘I’m not going to get ahead of any actions,’ McEnany told reporters in the James S. Brady Briefing Room.

‘Our streets are dominated with a police force and a national guard presence,’ she continued, claiming that police lines are overwhelmed by the rioters.

‘When those lines are overwhelmed, law enforcement gets on the defense,’ she said. ‘So what the president has said, is that he wants to dominate the streets with National Guard, with a police presence.’  

McEnany noted that Milley said during the call, which he was a part of, that a National Guard presence helps to de-escalate situations like the ones popping up all over the country.

She did not clarify if putting Milley in charge means that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would be completely overseeing a domestic issue.  

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a frequent target of the president in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, responded to the meeting in a statement following where she claimed Trump said the governors would be ‘overridden.’

‘I joined a call with my fellow governors and the current president that was deeply disturbing,’ she said. ‘Instead of offering support or leadership to bring down the temperature at protests, President Trump told governors to ‘put it down’ or we would be ‘overridden.’

A person listening in on the call told CBS News that the president’s message and tone was ‘unhinged.’ Illinois’ governor J.B. Pritzker hit back at him during the call, telling Trump his own rhetoric was fueling the violence. 

In the call, Trump specifically called out Minnesota, where the riots originated after Goerge Floyd, a black man, was killed by a white police officer there last week.

‘What happened in the state of Minnesota, they were a laughing stock all over the world,’ Trump said in the call.

‘They took over the police department, the police were running down the street, sirens blazing, the rest of them running. It was on camera,’ he said, referencing rioters who torched the Minneapolis police station on Friday.

‘They’ll probably have to build a new one,’ Trump said. ‘But I’ve never seen anything like it and the whole world was laughing.’

He then praised his own work by talking with Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on activating the National Guard in the state to help the Twin Cities mitigate violent demonstrators, claiming Walz acted on his suggestion. 

‘Once you cool down and you dominated, you took the worst place and you made it – they didn’t even come there last night because there was so much less, because you dominated,’ he lauded.

But right after the president’s call with governors, Walz held a press conference where he said he would be working to demobilize the National Guard, which he had just activated a few days before upon the encouragement of the president. 

He said the state is working on a ‘transition of our National Guard troops back to their homes and their jobs.’

‘They take time out of their jobs, and many of them will be going back – some of them working as news reporters, some of them working as camera operators, some of them working as teachers. That will begin to happen,’ Walz said.

On the call, Illinois governor J.B. Priztker bluntly told Trump his rhetoric was not helping.

‘It’s been inflammatory, and it’s not OK for that officer to choke George Floyd to death but we have to call for calm. We have to have police reform called for. We’ve called out our National Guard and our State Police, but the rhetoric that’s coming out of the White House is making it worse,’ Pritzker said, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Trump hit back saying: ‘OK, well thank you very much, J.B. I don’t like your rhetoric very much either because I watched your response to coronavirus, and I don’t like your rhetoric either. I think you could have done a much better job, frankly.’   

Trump also unloaded on New York, claiming that ‘New York’s finest’ were not being ‘allowed to do their jobs.’

‘New York is going to have to toughen up,’ he said.

‘You have the largest police force in the country, 40,000 people I understand but what’s going on in New York is terrible, terrible, of all the places.’ 

Attorney General Bill Barr, who was also on the call, told governors that a joint terrorist task force would be used to track the agitators.

He also told local officials, lawmakers and enforcement to control what is going on in cities rather than react to crowds – and he urged them to ‘go after troublemakers.’

The comments from Trump on increasing arrests come as more than 4,100 people were taken into custody across the country over the weekend in the at least 145 cities participating in protests, demonstrations and riots. 

President Trump held talks with his Barr, law enforcement officials and state leaders as violence continues to escalate in the sixth day of protests in cities all over the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

Barr visited the White House for an Oval Office meeting with the president Monday morning, and shortly after, Trump hosted a video conference with governors, law enforcement leaders and national security officials in the Situation Room to discuss ways to keep American communities safe.

Cities across the nation appear war-torn after rioters set establishments and cars in the middle of streets on fire, smashed windows of local stores and looted their shelves and clashed with law enforcement. 

Trump had to flee to the White House bunker to shelter in place for a short period of time on Friday, it was revealed on Sunday, as protesters surrounding the White House. 

Many governors activated the National Guard in their states and sent them to cities being affected by protests turned to violence.  

Governors and mayors also went public, both on their own mediums and in interviews with networks, claiming that while they support rioters’ right to gather, they are pleading for an end to the violence and destruction in their cities as a means of protesting. 

The president did not appear publicly on Sunday to address the rioters, who have engulfed the perimeter of the White House as well taken to the streets in several other U.S. cities, he did weigh in on Twitter, claiming that governors need to activate the National Guard in their states. 

He lauded the improvements over the weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota by the National Guard’s presence – and while the demonstrations have appeared less violent since they started at the end of last week, police in the city said they discovered Sunday caches of homemade firebombs around the city. 

The president has told aides that he’s concerned about his safety as the White House went dark after it turned off its lights in a rare move Sunday night while protests and riots continued a few hundred yards away from the residence.  

The rioters also set a fire to American Flags in Lafayette Square, the park adjacent to the North Lawn of the White House – and they were hit by tear gas by law enforcement. 

More than 50 Secret Service agents were injured in clashes with protesters in the nation’s capital, and more than 4,100 people were arrested across the country over the weekend as everything from peaceful protests to riots emerged in at least 145 cities.  

D.C. was also among the 40 cities that imposed a curfew as riots escalated after sundown.

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Monday that some of the protesters that terrorized the city overnight had come prepared with tools and supplies, and claimed that they set fires to draw police away from where they were planning to riot, loot and cause destruction.

‘We recognize that people are frustrated and mad but tearing up our beautiful city is not the way to bring attention to what is a righteous cause,’ Bowser told NBC News’ Today.

Just after the 11:00 p.m. curfew passed, a fire broke out at St. John’s Episcopal Church, which was spared from protests the day before. 

While Trump remained out of sight in the midst of the riots, his advisers discussed the prospect of an Oval Office address in an attempt to ease tensions. The notion was quickly scrapped for lack of policy proposals and the president’s own seeming disinterest in delivering a message of unity.

Instead, Trump has urged governors to activate the National Guard, demanding they ‘get tough, but has not sought control of the Army reservists himself to quell the nationwide riots.

The violence ensued after George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed while in a white police officer’s custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.

A cellphone video of the incident went viral where Derek Chauvin, 44, can be seen holding his knee on Floyd’s neck during an arrest for more than eight minutes as the victim repeatedly said he could not breathe.

While Floyd was handcuffed, four cops, including Chauvin, were holding him down.

Chauvin was fired after the video emerged and taken into custody on Friday after the violent protesters demanded he be arrested – and he is being charged with third-degree murder.

The other three officers have not been arrested.

Trump has also blamed the media, Democrats and outside groups for exacerbating the riots – asserting on Sunday that he is classifying the far-left anti-fascists group Antifa as a terrorist organization.

Antifa has no official leaders, and it could appear their fingerprints are all over the riots as their demonstrations include violent tactics that they deem justifiable.

‘Congratulations to our National Guard for the great job they did immediately upon arriving in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last night,’ Trump tweeted Sunday morning. ‘The ANTIFA led anarchists, among others, were shut down quickly. Should have been done by Mayor on first night and there would have been no trouble!’

Minnesota law enforcement say that they believe white supremacists have infiltrated the riots in Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul to stoke violent demonstrators.

‘They’re agitators, ‘Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell told CNN on Sunday, adding that there have been reports of Antifa members attending demonstrations.

While Trump does feel an outside group is involved, he asserted Monday that he does not believe that there were white supremacist groups mixed in with those protesting the death of George Floyd.

He instead doubled-down on blaming Antifa for the violent skirmishes with police.

‘I don’t see any indication that there were any white supremest groups mixing in. This is an ANTIFA Organization,’ the president asserted.

‘It seems that the first time we saw it in a major way was Occupy Wall Street. It’s the same mindset,’ Trump said, tagging ‘Fox & Friends’ host Brian Kilmeade and crediting him for the comment.

He also replied ‘TRUE!’ to the Kilmeade quote, and misspelled the word ‘supremacist.’

Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was asked Friday about reports that White Supremacists were involved and he answered, ‘My suspicions and what I’ve seen on this, yes.’

‘It gets worse than that,’ he added. ‘The cartels, who are wondering if there was a break in their drugs transmissions, are trying to take advantage of the chaos. That’s why this situation is on a federal level.’

While governors and mayors scramble to create more peace in their major cities, the president is blaming them not calling in the National Guard for aggravating the violent situations.

‘Get tough Democrat Mayors and Governors,’ Trump urged in a tweet. ‘These people are ANARCHISTS. Call in our National Guard NOW.’

‘The World is watching and laughing at you and Sleepy Joe,’ he continued, referring to presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. ‘Is this what America wants? NO!!!’

By Sunday evening, Trump followed up his calls for the National Guard with a tweet that simply read: ‘LAW & ORDER!’

So far, 15 states and Washington, D.C. have deployed the Guard.

Rioters continue to take to the streets, becoming especially active after sundown, in major cities like New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Seattle, Washington, D.C. and beyond. 

While there have been at least 4,100 arrests in cities across the country this weekend and countless protesters, rioters and law enforcement officials have been injured, there are at least five instances where people have been killed in the midst of the violence.

Gunfire rang out during the riots this weekend leading to deaths in Detroit, Michigan and Indianapolis, Indiana.

In Omaha, Nebraska, a 22-year-old black protester was killed in a struggle with a local business owner.

A man was shot dead by law enforcement officers in Louisville on Sunday on the fourth night of unrest in the city in a shooting believed to be linked to the protests.

Louisville’s protests, in particular, have also focused on the March 13 death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot eight times by narcotics detectives who knocked down her front door.  

Chaos had unfolded  in cities across America with more than 50 Secret Service agents injured in clashes with protesters in Washington DC, police charging into demonstrators in New York City and lootings continuing to unfold in major cities like California, Philadelphia and Boston.  

Demonstrations from Washington DC to Los Angeles swelled from peaceful protests – sparked by the death of a black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis police custody last Monday – into scenes of violence that drew National Guard troops in at least 15 states and Washington. 

More than 4,100 people were arrested this weekend alone as the violence continued to escalate and cities enacted strict curfews.  

President Donald Trump declared himself the ‘law and order president’ Monday night as law enforcement officials used rubber bullets, tear gas and officers on horse back to clear out protesters so Trump could walk to an historic church across from the White House for a photo-op.

‘I am your president of law and order,’ Trump said in the Rose Garden as the split screen on televisions across the nation showed peaceful protesters being fired upon and cleared out 30 minutes before Washington D.C.’s curfew went into affect. 

‘The biggest victims of the rioting are peace loving citizens in our poorest communities, and as they are president, I will fight to keep them safe. I will fight to protect you. I am your president of law and order and an ally of all peaceful protesters,’ Trump said in brief remarks.

Armed offices on horse back cleared protesters from around the White House so the president could walk across Layafette Park to pay his respects to St. John’s Church, the historic chapel across from the White House known as the president’s church. It suffered damage in Sunday night’s protest.

‘If the city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residence, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them,’ the president said. 

Immediately after he finished his remarks, he left the White House to walk to the church that was threatened with fire Sunday night. He walked across the cleared out park surrounded by aides and Secret Service agents.

Before the president spoke in the Rose Garden, Attorney General Bill Barr spoke to law enforcement officials in the park and then left to return to the White House. Shortly after Barr left, the protesters were cleared, shouting ‘don’t shoot’ as officials closed in on horseback and on foot. Tear gas poured down on them and rubber bullets were shot into the crowd.

With the path cleared, Trump took a short walk on a beautiful D.C. night to stand in front of the church, holding up a bible. 

He was joined by Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Barr, National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, Defense Secretary  Mark Esper, and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany – all of whom joined him in front of the church to get their picture taken.

Trump spent less than five minutes in front of the church, long enough to declare ‘greatest country in the world.’ And we’re going to keep it safe.’

A fire burned in the basement of St. John’s Church Sunday night but the chapel was not affected. The church was boarded up during the protests.

‘What happened in the city last night was a total disgrace. As we speak, I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel, and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults, and the wanton destruction of property. We are putting everybody on warning on a 7:00 curfew that will be strictly enforced,’ Trump told Washington D.C. residents during his Rose Garden remarks.  

Donald Trump told governors during a video conference from the Situation Room on Monday that they are ‘weak’ and need to ‘dominate’ cities ravaged by riots or they will look like ‘jerks.’ 

‘You have to dominate, if you don’t dominate you’re wasting your time. They’re going to run over you, you’re going to look like a bunch of jerks. You have to dominate,’ audio of the call revealed.

‘The only time it’s successful is when you’re weak and most of you are weak,’ he added, CNN reported, claiming that if governors and local leaders were more tough on rioters, there would be less destruction of their major cities.

‘You’ve got to arrest people, you have to track people, you have to put them in jail for 10 years and you’ll never see this stuff again,’ Trump said during the 55-minute call. ‘We’re doing it in Washington, D.C. We’re going to do something that people haven’t seen before.’ 

‘You’re making a mistake because you’re making yourselves look like fools,’ he continued later in the call, claiming that they need to activate more National Guard support as a show of force on city streets.’And some have done a great job. But a lot of you, it’s not – it’s not a great day for our country.’

The president also threatened to deploy the 101st Airborne Division of the Army to provide ‘backup’ to cities ravaged by the riots.

The president made this message by endorsing a statement made by Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton: ‘100% Correct. Thank you Tom!’

Cotton wrote on Monday, ‘Anarchy, rioting, and looting needs to end tonight.’

‘If local law enforcement is overwhelmed and needs backup, let’s see how tough these Antifa terrorists are when they’re facing off with the 101st Airborne Division,’ he continued in the tweet. ‘We need to have zero tolerance for this destruction.’

Trump has pushed for governors to activate the National Guard in there states and has not yet formally addressed the nation since the unrest began.

He did say during his call with governors Monday that he is putting Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley ‘in charge.’ 

The call happened after a weekend in which:

• It emerged Trump was whisked to a bunker while protesters descended on the White House Friday night, throwing Molotov cocktails and injuring 50 Secret Service agents
• A protester was reportedly shot dead in Louisville, Kentucky Sunday night
• Mayor Bill de Blasio’s daughter was arrested at a protest in New York City Sunday 
• An armed vigilante in California pulled a gun on rioters who tried to hold up a bank 
• Across the country, peaceful protesters tried to stop violent opportunists from ransacking stores 
• In Louisville, protesters formed a human chain to protect one cop who became separated from his unit and outnumbered by crowds 
• Other cops dropped to their knees in shows of solidarity with protesters and some abandoned riot gear to march with crowds peacefully 
• In Minneapolis, a tanker plowed through crowds of protesters on a highway; he was then pulled from the rig and beaten by crowds 

The president did not clarify what he meant during his rant to the state leaders, specifically if he was planning to deploy the military to quell protests – and White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany did not clear up the comments during a press briefing Monday afternoon.

‘I’m not going to get ahead of any actions,’ McEnany told reporters in the James S. Brady Briefing Room.

‘Our streets are dominated with a police force and a national guard presence,’ she continued, claiming that police lines are overwhelmed by the rioters.

‘When those lines are overwhelmed, law enforcement gets on the defense,’ she said. ‘So what the president has said, is that he wants to dominate the streets with National Guard, with a police presence.’  

McEnany noted that Milley said during the call, which he was a part of, that a National Guard presence helps to de-escalate situations like the ones popping up all over the country.

She did not clarify if putting Milley in charge means that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would be completely overseeing a domestic issue.  

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a frequent target of the president in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, responded to the meeting in a statement following where she claimed Trump said the governors would be ‘overridden.’

‘I joined a call with my fellow governors and the current president that was deeply disturbing,’ she said. ‘Instead of offering support or leadership to bring down the temperature at protests, President Trump told governors to ‘put it down’ or we would be ‘overridden.’

A person listening in on the call told CBS News that the president’s message and tone was ‘unhinged.’ Illinois’ governor J.B. Pritzker hit back at him during the call, telling Trump his own rhetoric was fueling the violence. 

In the call, Trump specifically called out Minnesota, where the riots originated after Goerge Floyd, a black man, was killed by a white police officer there last week.

‘What happened in the state of Minnesota, they were a laughing stock all over the world,’ Trump said in the call.

‘They took over the police department, the police were running down the street, sirens blazing, the rest of them running. It was on camera,’ he said, referencing rioters who torched the Minneapolis police station on Friday.

‘They’ll probably have to build a new one,’ Trump said. ‘But I’ve never seen anything like it and the whole world was laughing.’

He then praised his own work by talking with Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on activating the National Guard in the state to help the Twin Cities mitigate violent demonstrators, claiming Walz acted on his suggestion. 

‘Once you cool down and you dominated, you took the worst place and you made it – they didn’t even come there last night because there was so much less, because you dominated,’ he lauded.

But right after the president’s call with governors, Walz held a press conference where he said he would be working to demobilize the National Guard, which he had just activated a few days before upon the encouragement of the president. 

He said the state is working on a ‘transition of our National Guard troops back to their homes and their jobs.’

‘They take time out of their jobs, and many of them will be going back – some of them working as news reporters, some of them working as camera operators, some of them working as teachers. That will begin to happen,’ Walz said.

On the call, Illinois governor J.B. Priztker bluntly told Trump his rhetoric was not helping.

‘It’s been inflammatory, and it’s not OK for that officer to choke George Floyd to death but we have to call for calm. We have to have police reform called for. We’ve called out our National Guard and our State Police, but the rhetoric that’s coming out of the White House is making it worse,’ Pritzker said, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Trump hit back saying: ‘OK, well thank you very much, J.B. I don’t like your rhetoric very much either because I watched your response to coronavirus, and I don’t like your rhetoric either. I think you could have done a much better job, frankly.’   

Trump also unloaded on New York, claiming that ‘New York’s finest’ were not being ‘allowed to do their jobs.’

‘New York is going to have to toughen up,’ he said.

‘You have the largest police force in the country, 40,000 people I understand but what’s going on in New York is terrible, terrible, of all the places.’ 

Attorney General Bill Barr, who was also on the call, told governors that a joint terrorist task force would be used to track the agitators.

He also told local officials, lawmakers and enforcement to control what is going on in cities rather than react to crowds – and he urged them to ‘go after troublemakers.’

The comments from Trump on increasing arrests come as more than 4,100 people were taken into custody across the country over the weekend in the at least 145 cities participating in protests, demonstrations and riots. 

President Trump held talks with his Barr, law enforcement officials and state leaders as violence continues to escalate in the sixth day of protests in cities all over the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

Barr visited the White House for an Oval Office meeting with the president Monday morning, and shortly after, Trump hosted a video conference with governors, law enforcement leaders and national security officials in the Situation Room to discuss ways to keep American communities safe.

Cities across the nation appear war-torn after rioters set establishments and cars in the middle of streets on fire, smashed windows of local stores and looted their shelves and clashed with law enforcement. 

Trump had to flee to the White House bunker to shelter in place for a short period of time on Friday, it was revealed on Sunday, as protesters surrounding the White House. 

Many governors activated the National Guard in their states and sent them to cities being affected by protests turned to violence.  

Governors and mayors also went public, both on their own mediums and in interviews with networks, claiming that while they support rioters’ right to gather, they are pleading for an end to the violence and destruction in their cities as a means of protesting. 

The president did not appear publicly on Sunday to address the rioters, who have engulfed the perimeter of the White House as well taken to the streets in several other U.S. cities, he did weigh in on Twitter, claiming that governors need to activate the National Guard in their states. 

He lauded the improvements over the weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota by the National Guard’s presence – and while the demonstrations have appeared less violent since they started at the end of last week, police in the city said they discovered Sunday caches of homemade firebombs around the city. 

The president has told aides that he’s concerned about his safety as the White House went dark after it turned off its lights in a rare move Sunday night while protests and riots continued a few hundred yards away from the residence.  

The rioters also set a fire to American Flags in Lafayette Square, the park adjacent to the North Lawn of the White House – and they were hit by tear gas by law enforcement. 

More than 50 Secret Service agents were injured in clashes with protesters in the nation’s capital, and more than 4,100 people were arrested across the country over the weekend as everything from peaceful protests to riots emerged in at least 145 cities.  

D.C. was also among the 40 cities that imposed a curfew as riots escalated after sundown.

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Monday that some of the protesters that terrorized the city overnight had come prepared with tools and supplies, and claimed that they set fires to draw police away from where they were planning to riot, loot and cause destruction.

‘We recognize that people are frustrated and mad but tearing up our beautiful city is not the way to bring attention to what is a righteous cause,’ Bowser told NBC News’ Today.

Just after the 11:00 p.m. curfew passed, a fire broke out at St. John’s Episcopal Church, which was spared from protests the day before. 

While Trump remained out of sight in the midst of the riots, his advisers discussed the prospect of an Oval Office address in an attempt to ease tensions. The notion was quickly scrapped for lack of policy proposals and the president’s own seeming disinterest in delivering a message of unity.

Instead, Trump has urged governors to activate the National Guard, demanding they ‘get tough, but has not sought control of the Army reservists himself to quell the nationwide riots.

The violence ensued after George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed while in a white police officer’s custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.

A cellphone video of the incident went viral where Derek Chauvin, 44, can be seen holding his knee on Floyd’s neck during an arrest for more than eight minutes as the victim repeatedly said he could not breathe.

While Floyd was handcuffed, four cops, including Chauvin, were holding him down.

Chauvin was fired after the video emerged and taken into custody on Friday after the violent protesters demanded he be arrested – and he is being charged with third-degree murder.

The other three officers have not been arrested.

Trump has also blamed the media, Democrats and outside groups for exacerbating the riots – asserting on Sunday that he is classifying the far-left anti-fascists group Antifa as a terrorist organization.

Antifa has no official leaders, and it could appear their fingerprints are all over the riots as their demonstrations include violent tactics that they deem justifiable.

‘Congratulations to our National Guard for the great job they did immediately upon arriving in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last night,’ Trump tweeted Sunday morning. ‘The ANTIFA led anarchists, among others, were shut down quickly. Should have been done by Mayor on first night and there would have been no trouble!’

Minnesota law enforcement say that they believe white supremacists have infiltrated the riots in Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul to stoke violent demonstrators.

‘They’re agitators, ‘Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell told CNN on Sunday, adding that there have been reports of Antifa members attending demonstrations.

While Trump does feel an outside group is involved, he asserted Monday that he does not believe that there were white supremacist groups mixed in with those protesting the death of George Floyd.

He instead doubled-down on blaming Antifa for the violent skirmishes with police.

‘I don’t see any indication that there were any white supremest groups mixing in. This is an ANTIFA Organization,’ the president asserted.

‘It seems that the first time we saw it in a major way was Occupy Wall Street. It’s the same mindset,’ Trump said, tagging ‘Fox & Friends’ host Brian Kilmeade and crediting him for the comment.

He also replied ‘TRUE!’ to the Kilmeade quote, and misspelled the word ‘supremacist.’

Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was asked Friday about reports that White Supremacists were involved and he answered, ‘My suspicions and what I’ve seen on this, yes.’

‘It gets worse than that,’ he added. ‘The cartels, who are wondering if there was a break in their drugs transmissions, are trying to take advantage of the chaos. That’s why this situation is on a federal level.’

While governors and mayors scramble to create more peace in their major cities, the president is blaming them not calling in the National Guard for aggravating the violent situations.

‘Get tough Democrat Mayors and Governors,’ Trump urged in a tweet. ‘These people are ANARCHISTS. Call in our National Guard NOW.’

‘The World is watching and laughing at you and Sleepy Joe,’ he continued, referring to presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. ‘Is this what America wants? NO!!!’

By Sunday evening, Trump followed up his calls for the National Guard with a tweet that simply read: ‘LAW & ORDER!’

So far, 15 states and Washington, D.C. have deployed the Guard.

Rioters continue to take to the streets, becoming especially active after sundown, in major cities like New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Seattle, Washington, D.C. and beyond. 

While there have been at least 4,100 arrests in cities across the country this weekend and countless protesters, rioters and law enforcement officials have been injured, there are at least five instances where people have been killed in the midst of the violence.

Gunfire rang out during the riots this weekend leading to deaths in Detroit, Michigan and Indianapolis, Indiana.

In Omaha, Nebraska, a 22-year-old black protester was killed in a struggle with a local business owner.

A man was shot dead by law enforcement officers in Louisville on Sunday on the fourth night of unrest in the city in a shooting believed to be linked to the protests.

Louisville’s protests, in particular, have also focused on the March 13 death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot eight times by narcotics detectives who knocked down her front door.  

Chaos had unfolded  in cities across America with more than 50 Secret Service agents injured in clashes with protesters in Washington DC, police charging into demonstrators in New York City and lootings continuing to unfold in major cities like California, Philadelphia and Boston.  

Demonstrations from Washington DC to Los Angeles swelled from peaceful protests – sparked by the death of a black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis police custody last Monday – into scenes of violence that drew National Guard troops in at least 15 states and Washington. 

More than 4,100 people were arrested this weekend alone as the violence continued to escalate and cities enacted strict curfews.  

Donald Trump told governors during a video conference from the Situation Room on Monday that they are ‘weak’ and need to ‘dominate’ cities ravaged by riots or they will look like ‘jerks.’ 

‘You have to dominate, if you don’t dominate you’re wasting your time. They’re going to run over you, you’re going to look like a bunch of jerks. You have to dominate,’ audio of the call revealed.

‘The only time it’s successful is when you’re weak and most of you are weak,’ he added, CNN reported, claiming that if governors and local leaders were more tough on rioters, there would be less destruction of their major cities.

‘You’ve got to arrest people, you have to track people, you have to put them in jail for 10 years and you’ll never see this stuff again,’ Trump said during the call. ‘We’re doing it in Washington, D.C. We´re going to do something that people haven’t seen before.’

‘You’re making a mistake because you’re making yourselves look like fools,’ he continued later in the call, claiming that they need to activate more National Guard support as a show of force on city streets.’And some have done a great job. But a lot of you, it’s not – it’s not a great day for our country.’

A person listening in on the call told CBS News that the president’s message and tone was ‘unhinged.’ 

Trump specifically called out Minnesota, where the riots originated after Goerge Floyd, a black man, was killed by a white police officer there last week.

‘What happened in the state of Minnesota, they were a laughing stock all over the world,’ Trump said in the call.

‘They took over the police department, the police were running down the street, sirens blazing, the rest of them running. It was on camera,’ he said, referencing rioters who torched the Minneapolis police station on Friday.

‘They’ll probably have to build a new one,’ Trump said. ‘But I’ve never seen anything like it and the whole world was laughing.’

He then praised his work by talking with Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on activating the National Guard in the state to help the Twin Cities mitigate violent demonstrators.

‘Once you cool down and you dominated, you took the worst place and you made it – they didn’t even come there last night because there was so much less, because you dominated,’ he lauded.

Walz held a press conference shortly after the call, where he said he would be working to demobilize the National Guard, which he had just activated a few days before.

Attorney General Bill Barr, who was also on the call, told governors that a joint terrorist task force would be used to track the agitators.

He also told local officials, lawmakers and enforcement to control what is going on in cities rather than react to crowds – and he urged them to ‘go after troublemakers.’

The comments from Trump on increasing arrests come as more than 4,100 people were taken into custody across the country over the weekend in the at least 145 cities participating in protests, demonstrations and riots. 

President Trump held talks with his Barr, law enforcement officials and state leaders as violence continues to escalate in the sixth day of protests in cities all over the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

Barr visited the White House for an Oval Office meeting with the president Monday morning, and shortly after, Trump hosted a video conference with governors, law enforcement leaders and national security officials in the Situation Room to discuss ways to keep American communities safe.

Cities across the nation appear war-torn after rioters set establishments and cars in the middle of streets on fire, smashed windows of local stores and looted their shelves and clashed with law enforcement. 

Trump had to flee to the White House bunker to shelter in place for a short period of time on Friday, it was revealed on Sunday, as protesters surrounding the White House. 

Many governors activated the National Guard in their states and sent them to cities being affected by protests turned to violence.  

Governors and mayors also went public, both on their own mediums and in interviews with networks, claiming that while they support rioters’ right to gather, they are pleading for an end to the violence and destruction in their cities as a means of protesting. 

The president did not appear publicly on Sunday to address the rioters, who have engulfed the perimeter of the White House as well taken to the streets in several other U.S. cities, he did weigh in on Twitter, claiming that governors need to activate the National Guard in their states.

He lauded the improvements over the weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota by the National Guard’s presence – and while the demonstrations have appeared less violent since they started at the end of last week, police in the city said they discovered Sunday caches of homemade firebombs around the city. 

The president has told aides that he’s concerned about his safety as the White House went dark after it turned off its lights in a rare move Sunday night while protests and riots continued a few hundred yards away from the residence. 

The rioters also set a fire to American Flags in Lafayette Square, the park adjacent to the North Lawn of the White House – and they were hit by tear gas by law enforcement. 

More than 50 Secret Service agents were injured in clashes with protesters in the nation’s capital, and more than 4,100 people were arrested across the country over the weekend as everything from peaceful protests to riots emerged in at least 145 cities.

D.C. was also among the 40 cities that imposed a curfew as riots escalated after sundown.

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Monday that some of the protesters that terrorized the city overnight had come prepared with tools and supplies, and claimed that they set fires to draw police away from where they were planning to riot, loot and cause destruction.

‘We recognize that people are frustrated and mad but tearing up our beautiful city is not the way to bring attention to what is a righteous cause,’ Bowser told NBC News’ Today.

Just after the 11:00 p.m. curfew passed, a fire broke out at St. John’s Episcopal Church, which was spared from protests the day before. 

While Trump remained out of sight in the midst of the riots, his advisers discussed the prospect of an Oval Office address in an attempt to ease tensions. The notion was quickly scrapped for lack of policy proposals and the president’s own seeming disinterest in delivering a message of unity.

Instead, Trump has urged governors to activate the National Guard, demanding they ‘get tough, but has not sought control of the Army reservists himself to quell the nationwide riots.

The violence ensued after George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed while in a white police officer’s custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.

A cellphone video of the incident went viral where Derek Chauvin, 44, can be seen holding his knee on Floyd’s neck during an arrest for more than eight minutes as the victim repeatedly said he could not breathe.

While Floyd was handcuffed, four cops, including Chauvin, were holding him down.

Chauvin was fired after the video emerged and taken into custody on Friday after the violent protesters demanded he be arrested – and he is being charged with third-degree murder.

The other three officers have not been arrested.

Trump has also blamed the media, Democrats and outside groups for exacerbating the riots – asserting on Sunday that he is classifying the far-left anti-fascists group Antifa as a terrorist organization.

Antifa has no official leaders, and it could appear their fingerprints are all over the riots as their demonstrations include violent tactics that they deem justifiable.

‘Congratulations to our National Guard for the great job they did immediately upon arriving in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last night,’ Trump tweeted Sunday morning. ‘The ANTIFA led anarchists, among others, were shut down quickly. Should have been done by Mayor on first night and there would have been no trouble!’

Minnesota law enforcement say that they believe white supremacists have infiltrated the riots in Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul to stoke violent demonstrators.

‘They’re agitators, ‘Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell told CNN on Sunday, adding that there have been reports of Antifa members attending demonstrations.

While Trump does feel an outside group is involved, he asserted Monday that he does not believe that there were white supremacist groups mixed in with those protesting the death of George Floyd.

He instead doubled-down on blaming Antifa for the violent skirmishes with police.

‘I don’t see any indication that there were any white supremest groups mixing in. This is an ANTIFA Organization,’ the president asserted.

‘It seems that the first time we saw it in a major way was Occupy Wall Street. It’s the same mindset,’ Trump said, tagging ‘Fox & Friends’ host Brian Kilmeade and crediting him for the comment.

He also replied ‘TRUE!’ to the Kilmeade quote, and misspelled the word ‘supremacist.’

Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was asked Friday about reports that White Supremacists were involved and he answered, ‘My suspicions and what I’ve seen on this, yes.’

‘It gets worse than that,’ he added. ‘The cartels, who are wondering if there was a break in their drugs transmissions, are trying to take advantage of the chaos. That’s why this situation is on a federal level.’

While governors and mayors scramble to create more peace in their major cities, the president is blaming them not calling in the National Guard for aggravating the violent situations.

‘Get tough Democrat Mayors and Governors,’ Trump urged in a tweet. ‘These people are ANARCHISTS. Call in our National Guard NOW.’

‘The World is watching and laughing at you and Sleepy Joe,’ he continued, referring to presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. ‘Is this what America wants? NO!!!’

By Sunday evening, Trump followed up his calls for the National Guard with a tweet that simply read: ‘LAW & ORDER!’

So far, 15 states and Washington, D.C. have deployed the Guard.

Rioters continue to take to the streets, becoming especially active after sundown, in major cities like New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Seattle, Washington, D.C. and beyond. 

While there have been at least 4,100 arrests in cities across the country this weekend and countless protesters, rioters and law enforcement officials have been injured, there are at least five instances where people have been killed in the midst of the violence.

Gunfire rang out during the riots this weekend leading to deaths in Detroit, Michigan and Indianapolis, Indiana.

In Omaha, Nebraska, a 22-year-old black protester was killed in a struggle with a local business owner.

A man was shot dead by law enforcement officers in Louisville on Sunday on the fourth night of unrest in the city in a shooting believed to be linked to the protests.

Louisville’s protests, in particular, have also focused on the March 13 death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot eight times by narcotics detectives who knocked down her front door.

Donald Trump told governors during a video conference from the Situation Room on Monday that they are ‘weak’ and need to ‘dominate’ cities ravaged by riots or they will look like ‘jerks.’

‘You have to dominate or you’ll look like a bunch of jerks, you have to arrest and try people,’ Trump said during the call, according to CNN. ‘If you don’t put it down it will get worse and worse.’

He added that the only reason the riots are ‘successful’ is because they are ‘weak.’

The Associated Press added that during the call Trump told governors: ‘Most of you are weak. You have to arrest people.’

The comments come as more than 4,100 people were arrested across the country over the weekend in the at least 145 cities participating in protests, demonstrations and riots.

President Trump held talks with his Attorney General, law enforcement officials and state leaders on Monday as violence continues to escalate in the sixth day of protests in cities all over the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

Attorney General Bill Barr visited the White House for an Oval Office meeting with the president Monday morning, and shortly after, Trump hosted a video conference with governors, law enforcement leaders and national security officials in the Situation Room to discuss ways to keep American communities safe.

Cities across the nation appear war-torn after rioters set establishments and cars in the middle of streets on fire, smashed windows of local stores and looted their shelves and clashed with law enforcement. 

Trump had to flee to the White House bunker to shelter in place for a short period of time on Friday, it was revealed on Sunday, as protesters surrounding the White House. 

Many governors activated the National Guard in their states and sent them to cities being affected by protests turned to violence. 

Governors and mayors also went public, both on their own mediums and in interviews with networks, claiming that while they support rioters’ right to gather, they are pleading for an end to the violence and destruction in their cities as a means of protesting. 

The president did not appear publicly on Sunday to address the rioters, who have engulfed the perimeter of the White House as well taken to the streets in several other U.S. cities, he did weigh in on Twitter, claiming that governors need to activate the National Guard in their states.

He lauded the improvements over the weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota by the National Guard’s presence – and while the demonstrations have appeared less violent since they started at the end of last week, police in the city said they discovered Sunday caches of homemade firebombs around the city. 

The president has told aides that he’s concerned about his safety as the White House went dark after it turned off its lights in a rare move Sunday night while protests and riots continued a few hundred yards away from the residence. 

The rioters also set a fire to American Flags in Lafayette Square, the park adjacent to the North Lawn of the White House – and they were hit by tear gas by law enforcement. 

More than 50 Secret Service agents were injured in clashes with protesters in the nation’s capital, and more than 4,100 people were arrested across the country over the weekend as everything from peaceful protests to riots emerged in at least 145 cities.

D.C. was also among the 40 cities that imposed a curfew as riots escalated after sundown.

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Monday that some of the protesters that terrorized the city overnight had come prepared with tools and supplies, and claimed that they set fires to draw police away from where they were planning to riot, loot and cause destruction.

‘We recognize that people are frustrated and mad but tearing up our beautiful city is not the way to bring attention to what is a righteous cause,’ Bowser told NBC News’ Today.

Just after the 11:00 p.m. curfew passed, a fire broke out at St. John’s Episcopal Church, which was spared from protests the day before. 

While Trump remained out of sight in the midst of the riots, his advisers discussed the prospect of an Oval Office address in an attempt to ease tensions. The notion was quickly scrapped for lack of policy proposals and the president’s own seeming disinterest in delivering a message of unity.

Instead, Trump has urged governors to activate the National Guard, demanding they ‘get tough, but has not sought control of the Army reservists himself to quell the nationwide riots.

The violence ensued after George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed while in a white police officer’s custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.

A cellphone video of the incident went viral where Derek Chauvin, 44, can be seen holding his knee on Floyd’s neck during an arrest for more than eight minutes as the victim repeatedly said he could not breathe.

While Floyd was handcuffed, four cops, including Chauvin, were holding him down.

Chauvin was fired after the video emerged and taken into custody on Friday after the violent protesters demanded he be arrested – and he is being charged with third-degree murder.

The other three officers have not been arrested.

Trump has also blamed the media, Democrats and outside groups for exacerbating the riots – asserting on Sunday that he is classifying the far-left anti-fascists group Antifa as a terrorist organization.

Antifa has no official leaders, and it could appear their fingerprints are all over the riots as their demonstrations include violent tactics that they deem justifiable.

‘Congratulations to our National Guard for the great job they did immediately upon arriving in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last night,’ Trump tweeted Sunday morning. ‘The ANTIFA led anarchists, among others, were shut down quickly. Should have been done by Mayor on first night and there would have been no trouble!’

Minnesota law enforcement say that they believe white supremacists have infiltrated the riots in Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul to stoke violent demonstrators.

‘They’re agitators, ‘Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell told CNN on Sunday, adding that there have been reports of Antifa members attending demonstrations.

While Trump does feel an outside group is involved, he asserted Monday that he does not believe that there were white supremacist groups mixed in with those protesting the death of George Floyd.

He instead doubled-down on blaming Antifa for the violent skirmishes with police.

‘I don’t see any indication that there were any white supremest groups mixing in. This is an ANTIFA Organization,’ the president asserted.

‘It seems that the first time we saw it in a major way was Occupy Wall Street. It’s the same mindset,’ Trump said, tagging ‘Fox & Friends’ host Brian Kilmeade and crediting him for the comment.

He also replied ‘TRUE!’ to the Kilmeade quote, and misspelled the word ‘supremacist.’

Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was asked Friday about reports that White Supremacists were involved and he answered, ‘My suspicions and what I’ve seen on this, yes.’

‘It gets worse than that,’ he added. ‘The cartels, who are wondering if there was a break in their drugs transmissions, are trying to take advantage of the chaos. That’s why this situation is on a federal level.’

While governors and mayors scramble to create more peace in their major cities, the president is blaming them not calling in the National Guard for aggravating the violent situations.

‘Get tough Democrat Mayors and Governors,’ Trump urged in a tweet. ‘These people are ANARCHISTS. Call in our National Guard NOW.’

‘The World is watching and laughing at you and Sleepy Joe,’ he continued, referring to presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. ‘Is this what America wants? NO!!!’

By Sunday evening, Trump followed up his calls for the National Guard with a tweet that simply read: ‘LAW & ORDER!’

So far, 15 states and Washington, D.C. have deployed the Guard.

Rioters continue to take to the streets, becoming especially active after sundown, in major cities like New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Seattle, Washington, D.C. and beyond. 

While there have been at least 4,100 arrests in cities across the country this weekend and countless protesters, rioters and law enforcement officials have been injured, there are at least five instances where people have been killed in the midst of the violence.

Gunfire rang out during the riots this weekend leading to deaths in Detroit, Michigan and Indianapolis, Indiana.

In Omaha, Nebraska, a 22-year-old black protester was killed in a struggle with a local business owner.

A man was shot dead by law enforcement officers in Louisville on Sunday on the fourth night of unrest in the city in a shooting believed to be linked to the protests.

Louisville’s protests, in particular, have also focused on the March 13 death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot eight times by narcotics detectives who knocked down her front door.