“Of course, the president supports peaceful protests,” White House spokesman Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing with a reporter on June 11. “What a stupid question.”
Trump warns military parade protesters of meeting “big power”
President Donald Trump warned people against the protests in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US Army.
WASHINGTON – The White House has sought to reject the notion that President Donald Trump does not support peaceful protests.
“Of course, the president supports peaceful protests,” White House spokesman Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing with a reporter on June 11. “What a stupid question.”
Trump poses a threat to “protesters who want to leave” during the June 14th parade. This marks the 250th anniversary of the US military, even though it fell on Trump’s 79th birthday. Trump did not distinguish between peaceful protests protected by the First Amendment, which violated the law.
“For those who want to protest, they’ll find a huge amount of power,” Trump said on June 10.
Trump’s warning comes after he deployed the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles to counter the protests that were stricken by his administration’s deportation efforts, which illegally targeted the nation’s deportation efforts.
Trump critics organized “No Kings Day” protests in more than 1,800 communities on the day of the Military Parade.
It is expected to be the largest and most protest since Trump’s second term began, with as many as 1 million Americans in early April warping protests that attracted more than 1,000 Americans at more than 1,000 rallying.
“The president is absolutely in support of peaceful protests,” Levitt said at a press conference on June 11. “He supports the First Amendment. He supports the right to hear Americans. He does not support any kind of violence. He does not support attacking law enforcement officers who are simply trying to do their job.”
On his first day of his second term, Trump issued a swept pardon for more than 1,600 people convicted of crimes, including attacking law enforcement officials for his role in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The riots were unfolding by Trump supporters, and they wanted to stop the certification of Trump’s election losses to Joe Biden.
The military parade, estimated at $40 million in taxpayer dollars, is set to include Abrams tanks, vintage World War II fighters, and around 7,000 soldiers marching in uniforms for the period to mark the battle of the nation from the Revolutionary War to the present. A Trump review stand has been built south of the White House.
Contributed by: Sara Wire from USA Today.
Reach Joey Garrison with X @joeygarrison.
