First Lady Melania Trump Speaks out on Riots, Urges ‘Everyone to Protest in Peace’
First lady Melania Trump called for peace after protests outside the White House late Sunday turned violent.
“Saddened to see our country & communities being damaged & vandalized. I ask everyone to protest in peace & focus on taking care of one another & healing our great nation,” she tweeted Monday.
Saddened to see our country & communities being damaged & vandalized. I ask everyone to protest in peace & focus on taking care of one another & healing our great nation.
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) June 1, 2020
It echoed a tweet she sent Friday, saying there was “no reason for violence.”
Our country allows for peaceful protests, but there is no reason for violence. I’ve seen our citizens unify & take care of one another through COVID19 & we can’t stop now. My deepest condolences to the family of George Floyd. As a nation, let's focus on peace, prayers & healing.
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) May 29, 2020
Fires flared up near the White House during a third straight night of protests in Washington following the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer put a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Largely peaceful protests escalated into the vandalization of businesses and other property across the city after police pushed demonstrators out of Lafayette Square and into the streets using tear gas and other measures.
The first lady’s calls for peace stand in stark contrast to some of the messages shared by President Trump, who threatened protesters and looters with “shooting” and “vicious dogs.”
In his tweets, the president invoked a phrase used in 1967 by Miami’s police chief about cracking down on black unrest. He later claimed he didn’t mean to suggest that police should shoot people who were part of the unrest.
Trump has also criticized Democratic leaders for not quelling riots in their cities.
The president was rushed to an underground bunker at the White House on Friday night amid rising tensions outside the White House. Melania and their son Barron were likely moved as well.
Source: washingtonexaminer.com; theepochtimes.com; foxnews.com
