Earlier today (June 1), President Donald Trump addressed the nation regarding the ongoing civil unrest disrupting the country. We previously reported that Trump made his way to the Rose Garden where he gave a speech about protecting peaceful protesters while confirming that he would be mobilizing military and civilian resources to combat rioting and looting. Prior to his discourse, the president and his security team made sure that any surrounding area was clear because reporters and protestors shared that he had peaceful demonstrators outside of the White House teargassed.
Following his talk, Trump was escorted across the street to St John’s Episcopal church, the house of worship every president has called home since Founding Father and the 4th president of the United States James Madison was in office. After the crowd was teargassed, Trump posed in front of the historical church with a Bible in hand. After the photo op circulated, Reverend Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, gave a statement to The Washington Post condemning Trump.
“I am the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and was not given even a courtesy call, that they would be clearing [the area] with tear gas so they could use one of our churches as a prop," she stated. “I don’t want President Trump speaking for St John’s. We so dissociate ourselves from the messages of this president... We hold the teachings of our sacred texts to be so, so grounding to our lives and everything we do, and it is about love of neighbor and sacrificial love and justice.”
She also told CNN, "Let me be clear, the President just used a Bible, the most sacred text of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and one of the churches of my diocese, without permission, as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus." Rev Budde added, “We align ourselves with those seeking justice for the death of George Floyd and countless others. And I just can’t believe what my eyes have seen."
Meanwhile, protests and riots continue as cities have enacted early evening curfews around the country. Check out a few tweets below.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1267593673530884103
https://twitter.com/_/status/1267588382978433025
https://twitter.com/_/status/1267622414562799616
https://twitter.com/_/status/1267591478072705025
https://twitter.com/_/status/1267589143707574272
https://twitter.com/_/status/1267612134332137474
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA6xPD9nkMT
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