Hillary Clinton Calls out Donald Trump for Tweets About Shooting Looters

There have been widespread protests all around the country in light of George Floyd's murder at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Some of those protests turned into riots in several parts of the country, which prompted a response from President Donald Trump in which he condoned the use of "shooting" when it came to anyone looting businesses. In response to his incendiary Twitter message, his former political opponent Hillary Clinton has spoken out about the matter with a tweet of her own.

Clinton directly touched upon Trump's call for violence in the face of riots going on in the country. She said that the president was "wrong" for his message and added that the United States is in dire need of an "honest reckoning and reconciliation." At the end of her message, she encouraged everyone to keep the November general election in mind, telling her followers that he needs to be replaced. Her tweet comes shortly after Trump commented on the news of the riots around the country with an intense, and rather dangerous, message.

The president of the United States is calling for violence against American citizens.

That is so wrong. We need honest reckoning and reconciliation.

If you haven’t already joined the work to replace him in November, start now.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 29, 2020

According to CNN, Trump tweeted, "These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts." The tweet has since been flagged by Twitter for violating the site's rules against glorifying violence. While the tweet has not been removed by the platform, it is now hidden behind a message that reads, "this Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public's interest for the tweet to remain accessible." His tweet was subsequently retweeted by the official White House Twitter account.

As CNN went on to note, not only was Trump's message an incendiary one, but it was also a far cry from the tone of his wife's tweet about the subject. Unlike her husband, First Lady Melania Trump issued a statement about the riots by focusing on peace. She wrote, "Our country allows for peaceful protests, but there is no reason for violence. I've seen our citizens unify & take care of one another through COVID19 & we can't stop now. My deepest condolences to the family of George Floyd. As a nation, let's focus on peace, prayers & healing."