WASHINGTON (Nexstar) — In a phone call with governors around the country, President Trump said they need to call in the National Guard and “you have to dominate.”
That didn’t sit well with Democratic lawmakers, like Rep. Dina Titus.
“Donald Trump is very good at saying, ‘I’m in charge at some point,’ and then when he doesn’t want to take responsibility handing it off to the states,” the Nevada Democrat said. “I think the president is the leader of the whole country and we look to him to bring us together and to make suggestions for reform.”
Democrats say this moment, with violent protests in each of the 50 states, calls for a presidential address from the White House rather than inflammatory comments and tweets.
A few days ago Trump tweeted, “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” After pushback from many people, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said, “The president very clearly laid out what he meant by that tweet — that looting leads to shooting.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the president should stop tweeting and talk to Americans.
“A presidential tweet invoked a Miami police chief who in 1967 encouraged shooting black people during riots,” Schumer said.
McEnany also said Trump has not been silent about the protests, pointing to his comments at Saturday’s space shuttle launch.
“What we are now seeing on the streets of our cities,” Trump said then, “has nothing to do with justice or with peace. The memory of George Floyd is being dishonored.”
