Go back to your bunker
- Trump praises US police, rejecting protesters' cries of racism
- Top US general says wrong to appear with Trump at protest site
Seattle's mayor has told US President Donald Trump to "go back to your bunker", escalating a spat after the president threatened to intervene over a police-free autonomous zone protesters have set up in the western United States city.
The reference to a "bunker" was a nod to reports Trump was rushed by Secret Service agents to a secure area in the White House as demonstrations against racism and police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd reached the president's residence.
Trump sparked the spat when he threatened to intervene in the neighbourhood in Seattle dubbed "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone", or CHAZ, which was agreed upon by demonstrators and the city's police department.
"Take back your city NOW. If you don't do it, I will," Trump warned mayor Jenny Durkan and Washington state governor Jay Inslee - both Democrats - in a tweet late on Wednesday, calling the protesters "domestic terrorists" who have taken over Seattle.
"This is not a game. These ugly Anarchists must be stooped (sic) IMMEDIATELY. MOVE FAST," he said in another tweet.
Mayor Jenny Durkan replied on Thursday, urging Trump to "make us all safe. Go back to your bunker", with Inslee joining in the Twitter mockery of Trump.
"A man who is totally incapable of governing should stay out of Washington state's business. 'Stoop' tweeting," he wrote.
In some cases, the peaceful Anti-racism demonstrations have turned into violent scenes of rioting and looting. In Seattle, where the CHAZ is now located, protestors were routinely clashing with police officers by nightfall until they were ordered out of the area "in an effort to proactively de-escalate interactions between protestors and law enforcement", the mayor said in a statement earlier.
Meanwhile, Trump on Thursday rebooted his flagging reelection campaign with a speech starkly rejecting nationwide protesters' claims of police racism, saying only a "few bad apples" are to blame.
Back in Washington, there were new tensions between the White House and the military when the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Mark Milley, apologized for appearing alongside Trump during a controversial walk to a church on June 1, minutes after police violently dispersed protesters.
"I should not have been there," Milley said in his unexpected comments.
Milley and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper were both strongly criticized for participating in what was widely seen as a political show by Trump, who walked with officials from the White House to pose in front of St. John's Episcopal Church, holding up a Bible.
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