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President claims Minnesota is a 'laughing stock all over the world' as calls mount for him to respond to crisis

Getty
Getty

Donald Trump held a fiery teleconference call with state governors, law enforcement, and national security officials on Monday following a weekend of unrest across the nation protesting the death of George Floyd. In the phone call, Mr Trump called the state governors “weak” and said they needed to get “so much tougher” on protesters in the coming days.

Minneapolis was the first site of protests after Mr Floyd was killed during an arrest involving four former police officers. Mr Trump said Minnesota was a “laughing stock” across the world because police stations were set on fire. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was later commended by the president for taking control over the protests in days following.

Six nights of protests has encouraged the president to put pressure on law and order to control crowds. The president also vowed to designate the militant left-wing demonstrators commonly known as “Antifa” a terrorist organisation. He attacked Democratic mayors and governors for failing to call in the National Guard to deal with “anarchists”.

National security officials such as Defence Secretary Mark Esper and Attorney General Bill Barr also said it was time to get tougher on the protests. Mr Barr encouraged governors to "dominate" the streets to arrest "troublemakers", while Mr Esper officials should "dominate the battlespace".

All of this comes as conversations about police brutality have heightened across America.

The lawyer representing the late Mr Floyd and his family revealed an independent autopsy of his death was ordered. This independent autopsy found Mr Floyd died from asphyxia, which differed from the county's report. It also alleged Mr Floyd probably died at the scene and the three other officers contributed to his ultimate death.

The coronavirus pandemic continues despite attention turned towards the protests going on across the US. Health experts have expressed concerns the large gatherings could cause a second wave. Dr Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, revealed, though, that he and the president have not met or spoken about the issue in more than two weeks.