June 02, 2020, 03:21 PM
In an interview with Playboy back in 1990, United States President Donald Trump openly expressed his admiration for Beijing with the way it ended the peaceful student-led demonstrations the year before, although he admitted the heavy-handed approach was "horrible".
Defended himself
He said then: "When the students poured into Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government almost blew it. Then they were vicious, they were horrible, but they put it down with strength."
"That shows you the power of strength. Our country is right now perceived as weak."
However, Trump had defended himself, saying in 2016 that he was not endorsing the bloody crackdown, Politico reported.
Threatened to use force to crack down on protesters
Trump has threatened on Monday, June 1, to send thousands of "heavily armed" troops and police to quell the protests in Washington, D.C., AFP reported.
He said the move is to "stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults and the wanton destruction of property".
The nationwide protests were ignited after the death of an unarmed African American man, George Floyd.
The police officer overseeing the arrest knelt on Floyd's neck for at least eight minutes before he was killed.
He has been arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Three other officers who were involved in the incident have been fired but have not been charged.
Denounced demonstrations as "domestic terror"
Trump had condemned the at-times violent protests as "acts of domestic terror".
He warned that the "organisers of this terror" will be facing "severe criminal penalties and a lengthy sentence in jail".
While he was making the remarks in the White House Rose Garden, military police fired teargas and rubber bullets at demonstrators to disperse the crowd, The Guardian reported.
The action allowed Trump to cross the street unhindered to go to St John's church.
The two-century-old "church of the presidents" was set on fire on Sunday, May 31.
He then held a Bible outside for the cameras.
Image by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
Protesters forcefully dispersed for a photo op
Trump's action was widely criticised.
Kamala Harris, the Democratic Senator from California, said Trump teargassed peaceful protesters for a photo op.
Donald Trump just tear-gassed peaceful protesters for a photo op. https://t.co/nRzF0V4Kg5
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 1, 2020
New York governor Andrew Cuomo slammed Trump for his handling of the protests, saying "it's all just a reality TV show" for him.
The president is calling out the American military against American citizens.
— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 1, 2020
He 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.
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser also condemned the federal police's "shameful" act of using "munitions on peaceful protesters in front of the White House".
I imposed a curfew at 7pm. A full 25 minutes before the curfew & w/o provocation, federal police used munitions on peaceful protestors in front of the White House, an act that will make the job of @DCPoliceDept officers more difficult. Shameful!
— Muriel Bowser (@MurielBowser) June 2, 2020
DC residents — Go home. Be safe
Largely peaceful protests turned violent
While protests had started off peaceful during the day, they turned increasingly violent after the sun set.
Some demonstrators started setting fires, and throwing stones and other objects at riot police.
Image via Getty Images
Cars were set on fire, and properties were looted.
Hid in bunker
Trump has also been criticised for hiding from the public eye when the protests escalated.
He moved to the underground bunker at the White House on Friday night, May 29, after protesters who gathered outside the gates shouted curses at him and even threw bricks and bottles at the building, The New York Times reported.
He had stayed out of the public eye on Sunday as well, despite being recommended by campaign advisers to deliver a nationally televised speech to calm the protesters.
Protests had continued over the weekend into Monday, June 1.
Top image adapted via BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images & Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Getty Images
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