U.S. President Donald Trump is telling the nation’s governors that most of them are “weak” and calling for tougher crackdowns on violence as protests rage across the nation.
U.S. President Donald Trump derides governors in a conference call for failing to dominate the protesters who have been out in cities for several days since the death of George Floyd during an arrest. 1:07
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday derided many governors as “weak” and demanded tougher crackdowns on burning and stealing by some demonstrators in the aftermath of violent protests in dozens of American cities.
Trump spoke to governors on a video teleconference that also included law enforcement and national security officials, telling the state leaders they “have to get much tougher.”
“Most of you are weak,” Trump said. “You have to arrest people.”
People across the country have been protesting the death of a black man, George Floyd, during an arrest in Minneapolis one week ago. A white police officer is seen on citizen-shot video kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.
Floyd was in handcuffs at the time. He died after the white officer ignored bystander shouts to get off him and Floyd’s cries that he couldn’t breathe. His death has sparked days of protests in Minneapolis that have spread to cities around America, including Los Angeles, Atlanta, Washington, and New York.
WATCH | Trump lambastes governors on conference call about the protests:
U.S. President Donald Trump tells governors in a conference call to use the National Guard to control the protests sparked by the death of George Floyd during an arrest. 0:34
The scale of the protests has rivaled the historic demonstrations of the civil rights and Vietnam War eras. At least 4,400 people have been arrested for offences such as stealing, blocking highways and breaking curfew, according to a count compiled by The Associated Press.
The Trump administration has portrayed the protest violence as the work of outside groups and extremists.
A bellicose Trump urged the governors