US Democratic lawmakers have lambasted President Donald Trump for his threats to use the military to suppress nationwide protests over racism and police brutality unless the states followed his recommendation.
Trump declared himself the "president of law and order," and said he was taking immediate presidential action to "stop the violence and restore security and safety in America" as protests over the death of George Floyd continued for a sixth day on Monday night.
"If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the US military and quickly solve the problem for them," he said.
Floyd, a 46-year-old African American, lost his life after a white policeman pinned his neck under a knee for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25.
The rallies in American cities over Floyd's death have been met with an iron fist, with police firing teargas canisters and rubber bullets to break up the gatherings.
"These are not the words of a president. They are the words of a dictator," Democratic senator Kamala Harris said in a tweet on Tuesday after peaceful protesters were tear-gassed near the White House so that the Republican president could pose for a picture at a nearby church
"How low can this president go?" Chuck Schumer, the leader of the opposition Democrats in the Senate, tweeted, claiming that Trump used tear gas "so that he could hold a photo op to appear like a tough guy."
"His words are empty. His actions reveal his true nature," Schumer added.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has been recently locking horns with Trump over the government's response to the new coronavirus pandemic, also denounced as "shameful” the US president's actions.
"[Trump] used the military to push out a peaceful protest so he could have a photo op at a church. It's all just a reality TV show for this president. Shameful," the Democratic governor said.
Republicans in the US Senate blocked a Democratic resolution on Tuesday that would have condemned Trump for the use of gas and rubber bullets against peaceful protesters near the White House.
In the meantime, the Democratic-led House of Representatives is working on a separate bill aimed at responding to the police killing of the unarmed African American in Minneapolis
Shootings and killings of unarmed black people at the hands of white police officers have on several occasions prompted mass protests across the country in recent years.
Such police conduct led to the formation in 2013 of the Black Lives Matter movement, which campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
