Seattle Mayor Tells Donald Trump ‘Go Back To Your Bunker’ After Threats Of Federal Action Against Protesters
President Donald Trump slammed Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee late Wednesday, warning the leaders that if they didn’t “take back” their city, he would step in with federal action, The Washington Post reported. Durkan shot back at Trump, telling him to “Make us all safe” and “Go back to your bunker.”
“Take back your city NOW. If you don’t do it, I will,” Trump wrote in a now-deleted tweet. “This is not a game. These ugly Anarchists must be stooped [sic] IMMEDIATELY. MOVE FAST!”
Inslee also responded to Trump’s threats, calling the president “incapable” and mocking his misspelling of the word “stop.”
“A man who is totally incapable of governing should stay out of Washington state’s business. ‘Stoop’ tweeting,” Inslee wrote.
Protests outside of the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct have been ongoing for days, forcing the police to board up the building and leave. Demonstrators have since occupied the area and declared a “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone,” where law enforcement is forbidden as a step against defunding the police in the city. Reports on social media indicate that the people occupying the area are handing out free food and screening movies.
On Tuesday, protesters gathered in Seattle’s City Hall to call for Durkan to resign after police used tear gas to disperse crowds despite a 30-day ban on chemical agents.
On Thursday morning, Trump retweeted the message, correcting the spelling error and adding a second message aimed at Inslee.
“Anarchists just took over Seattle and the Liberal Democrat Governor just said he knows ‘nothing about that,'” he wrote.
Trump, who has not ruled out the idea of using the Insurrection Act to quell protests, has frequently used his social media platform to warn that he will utilize federal forces to stop such demonstrations. He has also urged state leaders to use forceful measures to calm tensions.
Protests have spread across the United States in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis when former officer Derek Chauvin was shown on video kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Trump did not clarify what he meant by taking over Seattle, but the president has previously said he will send out military forces in order to “dominate” protests. Those threats have been met with backlash from military leaders, pundits, and experts who warn that military action against American citizens could violate their constitutional rights.
