US President Donald Trump says he called off a weekend trip to New Jersey to remain in the nation’s capital and keep an eye on “anarchists” and “agitators” amid ongoing protests in DC, insisting they will be “brought to justice.”
“I was going to go to Bedminster, New Jersey, this weekend, but wanted to stay in Washington, DC to make sure LAW & ORDER is enforced. The arsonists, anarchists, looters, and agitators have been largely stopped,” Trump said in a tweet on Friday.
I am doing what is necessary to keep our communities safe – and these people will be brought to Justice!
...I am doing what is necessary to keep our communities safe — and these people will be brought to Justice!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2020
Weeks of anti-police brutality demonstrations in DC have seen numerous attempts to tear down monuments and statues which activists deem a celebration of racist historical figures, drawing threats of draconian punishment from the president. Earlier on Friday, Trump tweeted out an FBI wanted poster requesting information on 15 suspected statue-defacers, reiterating that the vandals could spend up to a decade in prison.