Rep. Ilhan Omar said President Trump’s remarks about a slew of demonstrations across America protesting police brutality this week proves he does not fully grasp the pain and suffering members of minority communities disproportionately face at the hands of law enforcement.
“This president has failed in really understanding the kind of pain and anguish many of his citizens are feeling,” Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, said Sunday on ABC’s This Week. “When you have a president who really is glorifying violence and was talking about the kind of vicious dogs and weapons that could be unleashed on citizens, it is quite appalling and disturbing.”
The congresswoman, whose district includes sections of Minneapolis, where the death of an unarmed black man in police custody sparked the nationwide protests, was referencing tweets Trump sent Saturday.
“They were not only totally professional, but very cool. I was inside, watched every move, and couldn’t have felt more safe,” Trump said of Secret Service agents who worked to contain protesters outside the White House this week. “Big crowd, professionally organized, but nobody came close to breaching the fence. If they had they would…..have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen. That’s when people would have been really badly hurt, at least.”
Great job last night at the White House by the U.S. @SecretService. They were not only totally professional, but very cool. I was inside, watched every move, and couldn’t have felt more safe. They let the “protesters” scream & rant as much as they wanted, but whenever someone….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2020
Critics slammed Trump’s comments as hearkening back to the segregationist rhetoric for the 1960s. Earlier in the week, Trump faced similar backlash after demanding local officials in Minnesota do more to stop widespread looting and destruction in Minneapolis.
Trump threatened to use military force on protesters, saying, “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” He later claimed he was talking about an increased rate of violent crime during riots.
Omar, a frequent Trump critic, has voiced support for the demonstrators, who are angry with an increasing trend of white police officers killing unarmed black men.
“Our anger is just. Our anger is warranted,” Omar said after the second night of demonstrations in her district. “And our priority right now must be protecting one another.”
Floyd died Monday when Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more almost nine minutes during an arrest. Multiple videos taken at the scene show Floyd, who didn’t resist arrest, telling Chauvin, “I can’t breathe,” pleading with him to get off and calling for his mother.
Chauvin was charged on Friday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three other officers who responded to the scene that day have yet to face charges, but the local prosecutor’s office says an investigation is ongoing.
Demonstrations in the wake of Floyd’s death have turned violent in dozens of American cities, with looters ransacking storefronts, burning cars, and defacing public works of art or government buildings.
In Minneapolis, a police precinct was overrun by protesters and burned to the ground. Local officials in Minnesota warn that outside agitators, whose presence has nothing to do with the protests of Floyd’s death, are using the chaos to destroy civilized society.
Trump and Attorney General William Barr have blamed individuals using “anti-fascist” tactics for some of the looting and violence. Trump said Sunday, his administration plans to designate antifa an official terrorist organization.
Omar said Trump is needlessly placing blame and purposefully fanning the flames of racial tensions in America during a time of crisis.
“We condemn other nations when their presidents make those kind of statements when there is unrest in their countries,” she said. “And we have to condemn our president at the highest sort of condemnation.”
