Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey hit back at Trump after the president called him 'very weak' and threatened that protesters could get shot
by Brianna Moné- Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey struck out at Donald Trump after he was called “weak” over his response to widespread looting.
- A police station was set on fire Thursday night, following a week of looting prompted by the killing of George Floyd.
- On Friday morning, Trump called Frey weak, and threatened to send in the National Guard. “When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” he said.
- In response, Frey said: “Donald Trump knows nothing about the strength of Minneapolis. We are strong as hell.”
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Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey hit back at Donald Trump after the president called him “weak” and posted a tweet suggesting that looters could be shot by the National Guard.
At 11 p.m. Thursday a Minneapolis police station near where George Floyd was violently detained by officers was set on fire, following a fourth night of looting. Floyd died after the arrest, and four officers were fired.
“These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen,” Trump tweeted early on Friday morning.
Frey should “get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right,” Trump said. He added that: “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
Twitter placed a new “glorifying violence” label on the tweet, further escalating an existing conflict between the network and the White House over how the president’s posts should be presented.
Frey responded to Trump’s attack, in which the president described him as “very weak,” during a Friday morning press conference.
“Let me say this. Weakness is refusing to take responsibility for your own actions. Weakness is pointing your finger at someone else in a time of crisis,” Frey said.
“Donald Trump knows nothing about the strength of Minneapolis. We are strong as hell.”
“Is this a difficult time period? Yes. But you better be damn sure we’re going to get through this.”
Frey’s request for support from state troopers and the National Guard was accepted by Governor Tim Walz on Thursday.
At the press conference, Frey was also asked what he was doing to address the violence in the city, but was vague in his response.
“What we have seen over the past several few hours and the past couple of nights in terms of looting is unacceptable. Our communities cannot and will not tolerate it. These are community institutions that we need.”
“We are doing everything we can to keep the peace,” he said.
Volunteers have taken to cleaning up the wreckage in Minneapolis.
On Monday, a white police offer was recorded kneeling on the neck of Floyd – a banned tactic – while Floyd shouted “I can’t breathe.” Floyd was confirmed dead shortly afterwards.
The officer, and three others at the scene, have been fired. Protesters are calling for murder charges against them.
On Thursday, presumptive Democratic Party nominee for president Joe Biden – who has struggled to win the support of black voters – said “people all across this country are enraged and rightly so.”
“Everyday African Americans go about their lives with constant anxiety and trauma of wondering, ‘Will I be next?’ Sounds like an exaggeration but it’s not,” he said.