Report: Trump Asked If Pentagon Could Use Tanks To Stop Protests
Artivia Tahir
President Trump has requested information from Pentagon officials about the kind of armored vehicles, military units, and “tanks” that could potentially be sent to quell the protests that erupted all over the United States following the death of George Floyd, according to The Daily Beast.
- The president announced that he was prepared to send troops across the country, despite the fact that not a single governor requested additional military assistance from Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
- The president also requested for military helicopters to fly low over protestors in the nation’s capital as part of a broader request from the White House to ramp up National Guard presence in the city.
During a photo op outside of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lafayette Square, which was cleared of protesters using tear gas, the president decried the unrest.
He declared himself the “president of law and order” and said he would take all the necessary steps to suppress the unrest sweeping the country.
“I have strongly recommended to every governor to deploy the national guard in sufficient numbers. If a city or a state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem,” he added.
The severity of the president’s reaction has caused senior officials in the Pentagon to want to distance themselves from his words.
- Pentagon officials shared that it was the White House and not the Department of Defense that pushed for greater military presence in the streets.
- Senior Pentagon officials also disclosed that the department was unlikely to implement a plan that reflected the president’s rhetoric.
