Donald Trump walked from the White House to nearby St. John's Church -- reportedly prompting police to use tear gas and force to clear out peaceful protesters in the nearby streets -- because he was upset over media coverage of him being whisked to a bunker to hide out during protests over the weekend, a new report claims.
Trump on Monday made his first public address to the nation since unrest started last week following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The president threatened to send the U.S. military to cities not taking what he called the "necessary" actions to quell the unrest, promising the military would "quickly solve the problem for them."
As NPR noted, at the same time that Trump was making remarks in the White House Rose Garden, police began forcefully removing protesters who had gathered in the streets and were reportedly peaceful. The report stated that officers fired tear gas and fired rubber bullets to disperse the peaceful demonstrators, with the action coming ahead of the city's 7 p.m. curfew.
"The protesters were removed from the Lafayette Square area across from the White House, apparently to clear the way for the president to walk to St. John's Church, where he posed briefly for photographers, holding a Bible," NPR wrote. "Parts of the church compound were damaged by rioters on Sunday night."
