Warren condemns ‘horrific’ Trump tweet on Minneapolis protests, other senators chime in

On Friday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called President Trump’s tweet about protests in Minneapolis “horrific,” adding, “Donald Trump is calling for violence against Black Americans.”

In her tweet about the president, Warren said, “His advocacy of illegal, state-sponsored killing is horrific. Politicians who refuse to condemn it share responsibility for the consequences.”

Donald Trump is calling for violence against Black Americans. His advocacy of illegal, state-sponsored killing is horrific. Politicians who refuse to condemn it share responsibility for the consequences.

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 29, 2020

Early Friday morning, the president posted a tweet that has since been flagged as violating Twitter’s policy for “glorifying violence” after Trump called those protesting the death of George Floyd — a 46-year-old unarmed black man who died shortly after a city police officer pinned his head to the street with a knee on his neck — “THUGS” and said “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”

Trump’s tweet prompted a response from several other Democratic senators, including Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Michael Bennet (Colo.).

“Our community is hurting. Hurting for justice & charges for George Floyd. Vandalism must stop,” Klobuchar said Friday. “But we need systemic reform. Like a full scale DOJ pattern/practice investigation of Mpls. Police like I’ve called for. So much better than a tweet.” 

Bennet echoed Klobuchar’s calls for “systemic reform,” saying, “We must work together to dismantle systemic racism in our country and hold ourselves accountable to seek justice for black Americans and other victims of racial violence,” also condemning the president’s tweet in a separate post.

Other Democratic senators chimed in against the president’s tweet Friday, such as Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.), Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) 

“At a time when the nation needs unifying more than ever: President Trump is pouring gasoline on the flames by quoting a racist police chief. Shame on him,” Schumer said Friday afternoon, referring to Trump’s tweet.

Booker blasted Trump for his tweet, saying, “At a time when the president should be bringing this country together, he instead sends racist tweets inciting violence,” while Whitehouse alleged Trump to be “a Commander in Chief who winks at white nationalism threatening black protesters with violence.”

Trump has since announced that the National Guard has arrived at the scene of the Minneapolis protests, saying, “George Floyd will not have died in vain. Respect his memory!!!”

A tweet from the White House Friday afternoon said Trump would hold a news conference at the Rose Garden at 2 p.m.