President Trump on Monday threatened to send federal law enforcement into several cities, including Detroit, in order to quell continuing unrest there.
Trump recently sent federal law enforcement to Portland to end more than 50 days of rioting, according to The Detroit News. He said that the federal officers had done “a fantastic job in a very short time.”
“I’m going to do something — that, I can tell you,” Trump said from the Oval Office on Monday. “Because we’re not going to let New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit and Baltimore … we’re not going to let this happen in our country.” Trump also said that all the cities he mentioned were run by “liberal Democrats.”
#BREAKING: President Trump says he may send "more federal law enforcement" to New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore, Oakland, and other cities to deal with unrest: "In Portland they’ve done a fantastic job." pic.twitter.com/Pe6aDv6AVt
— The Hill (@thehill) July 20, 2020
Riots, as well as protesting, have continued across the country after the resurgence of Antifa and the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police.
Trump received pushback from Michigan leaders, who defended the Detroit protests, saying they have been largely peaceful.
“Detroit is one of the few large cities in the country that has experienced no fires, no stores looted and never requested the National Guard during the protests,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan spokesman John Roach said, according to The Detroit News. “Not sure where the president is getting his information.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also criticized the president’s statement, calling it “deeply disturbing” and “hateful rhetoric.”
“Quite frankly, the president doesn’t know the first thing about Detroit. If he did, he would know that for nearly two months now, Detroiters have gathered to peacefully protest the systemic racism and discrimination that Black Americans face every day,” Whitemr said in a statement. “There is no reason for the president to send federal troops into a city where people are demanding change peacefully and respectfully. If the president actually wants to help the people of Michigan, he can start by picking up the phone and telling Mitch McConnell to pass the HEROES Act, so we can provide immediate relief to Michigan’s families, schools, and small businesses.”
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Michigan Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair. Email her at [email protected].
