Unrest ensued across the United States this weekend as protests continued against the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by police.
Some of the most intense uprisings have taken place in Washington, D.C.—particularly in front of the White House, where President Donald Trump threatened to unleash "vicious dogs" on protestors.
In the same Twitter rant, the President accused Democratic D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser of "always looking for money and help" after he praised the Secret Service.
It didn't take long for Bowser to respond, criticizing the President for his threats and his failure to lead the nation during some of its most tumultuous times.
While he hides behind his fence afraid/alone, I stand w/ people peacefully exercising their First Amendment Right after the murder of #GeorgeFloyd & hundreds of years of institutional racism
There are no vicious dogs & ominous weapons. There is just a scared man. Afraid/alone...
— Muriel Bowser #StayHomeDC Lite (@MurielBowser) May 30, 2020
I call upon our city and our nation to exercise great restraint even while this President continues to try to divide us. Our power is in peace, in our voices and ultimately at the ballot box in November...
— Muriel Bowser #StayHomeDC Lite (@MurielBowser) May 30, 2020
“It is no longer a choice, my friends, between violence and nonviolence. It is either nonviolence or nonexistence." Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.
— Muriel Bowser #StayHomeDC Lite (@MurielBowser) May 30, 2020
In response to the protests, the White House turned off its exterior lights and the President hid in its secure underground bunker—the only known use of the bunker other than the September 11 attacks.
Bowser was right about the President's fear.
Trump cowering in the bunker to hide from his own citizens painted a vivid picture.
The President previously said the murder of George Floyd was a "very sad event," but later spent more time and anger erupting at protestors, whom he called "thugs."
Meanwhile, Trump's presumptive Democratic opponent in the 2020 election met with protestors and community leaders in Delaware, and will soon address one of the state's historically Black churches,
@badgalriri/Instagram