Donald Trump Calls Minneapolis Looters ‘Thugs’, Implies They Should Be Shot

President Donald Trump took to Twitter to comment on the Minneapolis riots, calling the looters “thugs” and implying they should be shot. In the tweet, Trump stated that he believes “these THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd,” and he intends not to “let that happen.” He said that he has spoken with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and offered the full support of the U.S. military.

Trump then wrote, “Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” In a previous tweet. Trump stated that he “can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis.” He then blasted Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for what he calls a “total lack of leadership,” and referred to Frey as a “very weak Radical Left Mayor.” Trump asserted that if Frey doesn’t “get his act together and bring the City under control” then he “will send in the National Guard [and] get the job done right.” Notably, it was previously reported that the National Guard has already been dispatched to help with the rioting.

Twitter has since placed a warning label on Trump’s “thugs” tweet, citing it as “glorifying violence.” Twitter added that while “this Tweet violated the Twitter Rules,” it “has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible.” The social media site later added, “As is standard with this notice, engagements with the Tweet will be limited.” It went on to explain that other users “will be able to Retweet with Comment, but will not be able to Like, Reply or Retweet it.” The tweet was later quote retweeted by the official White House Twitter account as well.

Trump has since lashed out at the “glorifying violence” warning, writing in a separate tweet, “Twitter is doing nothing about all of the lies & propaganda being put out by China or the Radical Left Democrat Party.” He then claimed that Twitter has “targeted Republicans, Conservatives & the President of the United States.” Trump then added, “Section 230 should be revoked by Congress. Until then, it will be regulated!” The move came after Twitter placed a “fact check” label on Trump’s tweet about mail-in ballots for voters, about which he was also displeased.