Trump Focuses On White House Protests—Warns Of ‘Ominous Weapons,’ Promises ‘MAGA NIGHT’—After Night Of Chaos

TOPLINE

In a Twitter rant Saturday morning—his only reaction so far to a night of rioting in various U.S. cities—President Trump thanked Secret Service agents for responding to protesters outside the White House on Friday and warned demonstrators they would have been met with “vicious dogs” and “ominous weapons” had they breached a protective fence.

KEY FACTS

Key background

Trump has taken a more aggressive posture towards protesters in recent days. On Friday, Trump appeared to threaten opening fire against looters, declaring in a tweet that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts”; the tweet was later flagged by Twitter for promoting violence. On Saturday, the Pentagon, at President Trump’s request, ordered the military police on alert in preparation for more protests over the weekend.

Tangent

The conservative news outlet the Daily Caller released a video appearing to show a Fox News reporter outside the White House being chased by protesters. In the background, a man can be heard yelling, “F**k that fake-ass news!”

Further reading

Trump Requests Military Help As Protests Escalate. Here’s What Happened Friday Night (Forbes)

George Floyd’s Death Sparks Protests Across The U.S.: Georgia Governor Activates National Guard In Response To Protests In Atlanta (Forbes)

Pentagon puts military police on alert to go to Minneapolis (Associated Press)

National Guard summoned to aid cities amid police clashes (Associated Press)