Minnesota AG Ellison: Trump Calling Rioters Thugs, Calling on Them to Get Shot 'the Same Sort of Attitude that Resulted in the Death of George Floyd'

Friday on CBS’s “This Morning,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison shared his reaction to the situation in Minneapolis with protests for George Floyd’s death.

Late Thursday, they turned violent, leading President Donald Trump to comment about the scene.

Trump, in a since taken down tweet by Twitter, said late Thursday amid the riots that “THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd,” adding that he had spoken to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and “told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”

Ellison advised that Trump’s tweet referring to rioters and violent protesters as “THUGS” and threatening to have them shot is “the same sort of attitude that resulted in the death of George Floyd.”

“Well, calling people thugs and calling on people to get shot … stems from the same sort of attitude that resulted in the death of George Floyd,” Ellison stated. “The tough guy, macho man, I’m going to make you do what I want you to do attitude is the heart of the problem. And we need the president and everybody else who thinks that you can get to a better place through threats of violence to stop it. I think violence begets violence. And Trump’s angry words just feed an ugly cycle that is going on in my beloved city which I’m so proud of. But I’m just paining for now.”

Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent