Author and model Chrissy Teigen announced on Twitter Saturday afternoon she would donate $200,000 to bail funds for any protester arrested Saturday night during demonstrations against police brutality following George Floyd‘s death. Teigen said she would make the donation as a “celebration” of “whatever the f—” MAGA Night is. The term “MAGA Night” began trending on Twitter after President Donald Trump used it to suggest his supporters would mount a counter-protest outside the White House.
“In celebration of whatever the f— maga night is, I am committed to donating $100,000 to the bail outs of protestors across the country,” Teigen first tweeted. One critic tried to “correct” Teigen by calling the protesters “rioters and criminals” instead. Teigen responded by doubling down. “Ooo they might need more money then. Make it $200,000,” she wrote.
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Teigen also retweeted comedian Roy Wood Jr., who shared a screenshot of lawyers offering pro bono services to protesters. “Minneapolis, Houston, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles. I know there are far more doing the same thing in other cities please add them to this thread,” Wood wrote. The Daily Show correspondent shared more screenshots of attorneys offering their services after his followers responded.
On Friday night, protests outside the White House in Washington, D.C. led to the building briefly being put on lockdown. In a series of tweets Saturday morning, Trump praised the Secret Service and shockingly suggested the protesters would be subjected to “the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons” if the protests turned violent. He also incorrectly claimed Washington, D.C. police were not at the scene with the Secret Service, even though they were.
In another Saturday morning tweet, Trump appeared to be welcoming a counter-protest outside the White House by his supporters, whom he referred to by the “MAGA” acronym for his “Make America Great Again” slogan. “The professionally managed so-called ‘protesters’ at the White House had little to do with the memory of George Floyd. They were just there to cause trouble,” Trump wrote. “The [Secret Service] handled them easily. Tonight, I understand, is MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE???”
Outside the White House, a reporter asked Trump if he was concerned his tweets “might by stoking more racial violence or more racial discord.” Trump shrugged the question off and claimed he had “no idea” if his supporters would gather outside the White House. “I was just asking,” he said. “MAGA is make America great again. By the way, they love African American people, they love black people. MAGA loves the black people.”
Trump said he “heard” his supporters wanted to stage a protest in Washington. “I have no idea if that’s true or not, but they love our country. Remember, MAGA, it’s just an expression, but MAGA loves our country,” Trump said. A reporter asked if he was encouraging his supporters to have a counter-protest. “I don’t care,” Trump replied.
