The US president’s bombastic multi-tweet broadside began early Monday morning, after a night of violence once again reduced central Portland to something resembling a warzone.
“Put these animals in jail, now. The Radical Left only knows how to take advantage of very dumb “leadership” fools. This is Biden! Law & Order!” he tweeted.
A 200-strong group of rioters, many of whom wore body armor, carried shields and brandished blunt weapons like clubs, bats and night sticks, tore down several statues including those of former presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln before shattering the entrance to the Oregon Historical Society.
Trump described them as “animals,” “Biden fools,” and “Antifa radicals” in a series of tweets.
Riots ripped through the city’s downtown district late Sunday through the early hours of Monday, with agitators smashing storefronts and wreaking havoc on the beleaguered city which has witnessed non-stop protests and violence since May.
Portland police declared a riot, but did not intervene until almost an hour after the first statue was torn down.
Trump abrasively stated that local authorities were “fools” who were being taken advantage of, urging city and state leaders to call for federal agency support, despite the failure of federal authorities to quell the ongoing riots in the city during the summer.
Sunday night’s protest was billed as an “Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage” by organizers on social media, who called for “direct action.”
Monday is the federally-observed Columbus Day holiday, though many states and cities now refer to it as “Indigenous Peoples Day” in opposition to the violence perpetrated by Christoper Colombus and his conquistadors who conquered the Americas.
Organizers reportedly requested that local journalists and live streamers stay away from the event so as not to potentially incriminate those tearing down the statues with their coverage.
They also reportedly threatened and even assaulted those who were caught filming, shining laser pointers in their eyes or dousing them in liquid.
Trump signed off by calling on federal agencies to combat the violence witnessed in cities across the US over the summer since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody on May 25.
“The FBI and Law Enforcement must focus their energy on ANTIFA and the Radical Left, those who have spent the summer trying to burn down poorly run Democrat Cities throughout the USA!” he said.
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