President Donald Trump has failed to enact any sort of systematic national leadership amidst the currently unfolding crisis of police brutality in the United States. As protests have raged in many major cities, some of which have turned violent, Trump has opted to sit in the White House and tweet occasional random insults, many of which are completely disconnected from the reality of the situation. During an appearance on CNN this weekend, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) condemned the president’s inane rhetoric, insisting that Trump should just “be quiet.” After all, he’s proven that he’s not going to step up and lead.
Rep. Demings on President Trump’s response to protests and unrest following the death of George Floyd: “America is on fire right now, and the president of the United States is walking around with gasoline.”https://t.co/lLi6BdFk1Y
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 31, 2020
She told host Jake Tapper:
‘He should just stop talking. This is like Charlottesville all over again. He speaks and he makes it worse. There are times when you should just be quiet. And I wish that he would just be quiet, or, if he can’t be silent, if there’s somebody of good sense and good conscience in the White House, put him in front of a teleprompter and pray that he reads it and at least says the right things, because he is making it worse.’
That’s pretty blunt. Check out the mayor’s comments below:
“This is like Charlottesville all over again. He speaks and he makes it worse. There are times when you should just be quiet. And I wish that he would just be quiet.”
Atlanta Mayor @KeishaBottoms reacts to President Trump’s handling of protests across the country. #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/FN3qQJcOS2
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) May 31, 2020
Her city is among those that have been on the front lines of the struggle; recently, demonstrators even confronted cops at the CNN headquarters, which is a major tourist attraction in Atlanta. Bottoms, for her part, has called on those perpetrating violence amidst the demonstrations to stop. In contrast, the president has mostly stuck to gleefully reveling in the possibility of using violence against demonstrators.
Over the weekend, he tweeted:
‘Liberal Governors and Mayors must get MUCH tougher or the Federal Government will step in and do what has to be done, and that includes using the unlimited power of our Military and many arrests.’
Crossing State lines to incite violence is a FEDERAL CRIME! Liberal Governors and Mayors must get MUCH tougher or the Federal Government will step in and do what has to be done, and that includes using the unlimited power of our Military and many arrests. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2020
The “unlimited power” of the military? What exactly does he have in mind? Does he want to turn heavy artillery against American citizens? That’s not exactly a great plan to de-escalate the situation, although for starters, Trump doesn’t exactly seem to care about de-escalation, and additionally, he seems too incompetent to even carry out any plan that he has, nonetheless, come up with.
It seems fair to conclude that we are watching a coast-to-coast riot by police officers https://t.co/amFukHW9nA
— dan solomon (@dansolomon) May 31, 2020
But that doesn’t mean that his words don’t have consequences. Amidst his public comments about the protest situation, he added a diatribe proclaiming the mainstream media to be the “enemy of the people,” and his supporters around the country have seemed to try and carry out that rhetoric. Journalists at numerous demonstrations have been targeted, sometimes violently, by cops.
Trump tweeted:
‘Much more “disinformation” coming out of CNN, MSDNC, @nytimes and @washingtonpost , by far, than coming out of any foreign country, even combined. Fake News is the Enemy of the People!’
Much more “disinformation” coming out of CNN, MSDNC, @nytimes and @washingtonpost, by far, than coming out of any foreign country, even combined. Fake News is the Enemy of the People!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2020
Journalists have been targeted by police in New York, Minneapolis, Louisville, and elsewhere among numerous targetings of other otherwise peaceful interests.
Writer Gabe Gonzalez commented:
‘Police have used pepper spray on elected officials (NYC + Ohio), shot rubber bullets at people observing protests from their apartment (LA) and attacked people walking home from the store (Dallas). A militarized police force will terrorize a community more than any protest.’
Police have used pepper spray on elected officials (NYC + Ohio), shot rubber bullets at people observing protests from their apartment (LA) and attacked people walking home from the store (Dallas).
A militarized police force will terrorize a community more than any protest. https://t.co/qRbP1OLo4b
— Gabe Gonzalez (@gaybonez) May 31, 2020
