Another of Donald Trump’s tweets was flagged by Twitter Tuesday after he threatened protesters with ‘serious force’ if they attempted to establish an autonomous zone outside the White House.
Twitter deemed the tweet as ‘abusive’ and included a link to its rules and policies page, titled: ‘About public-interest exceptions on Twitter.’
‘This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about abusive behavior. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible,’ Twitter flagged on Trump’s tweet before giving users the option to unveil the text of the post.
Trump tweeted Tuesday morning: ‘There will never be an ‘Autonomous Zone’ in Washington, D.C., as long as I’m your President. If they try they will be met with serious force!’
The president’s tweet followed Monday’s raucous protests where demonstrators tried to pull down a bronze statue of former president Andrew Jackson and started to erect a black, police-free space.
Two of Trump’s tweets earlier this month were also flagged with a blue exclamation point as potentially misleading after he made a post asserting mail-in ballots would lead to higher instances of voter fraud.
Twitter flagged another one of Donald Trump’s tweets on Tuesday, claiming it breached it’s rules on ‘abusive behavior’ and warning users before they view the text of the post
President Donald Trump is voicing his fury over Monday night’s protests, declaring there will ‘never’ be an autonomous zone on Capitol Hill as long as he’s president and claiming those who try to establish such an area ‘will be met with serious force’
Protesters on Tuesday attempted to establish the area outside the North Lawn of the White House as the ‘Black House Autonomous Zone’
Police were already on site Tuesday morning at the Andrew Jackson statue in front of the White House that had been graffitied at its base with the phrase ‘Killer’ after failed attempts to topple the monument
The bronze statue was cleaned by city workers Tuesday morning after it was defaced by hundreds of protesters
City workers were seen Tuesday morning taking down the ‘Black House Autonomous Zone’ sign into a dumpster for disposal
Protesters face off with DC cops near Lafayette Square, not far from the White House, on Tuesday as Trump warned protesters who attempted to establish an ‘autonomous zone’ would be met with ‘serious force’
The president warned Tuesday morning that he is planning to sign another executive order to target protesters trying to remove statues they claim are racist.
‘They’re not taking down our monuments,’ Trump told reporters before leaving the White House. ‘I will have an executive order very shortly and all it’s going to really do is reinforce what’s already there, but in a more uniform way.’
He also announced on Twitter Tuesday that he was giving authorization ‘effective immediately’ to arrest anyone caught hurting a commemoration to an armed services member on federal land, even though the government already had that power under the 2003 Veterans Memorial Act.
‘I have authorized the Federal Government to arrest anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument, statue or other such Federal property in the U.S. with up to 10 years in prison, per the Veteran’s Memorial Preservation Act, or such other laws that may be pertinent.
‘This action is taken effective immediately, but may also be used retroactively for destruction or vandalism already caused. There will be no exceptions!’
He later added a tweet, which Twitter flagged for breaching its rules on abuse; ‘There will never be an ‘Autonomous Zone’ in Washington, D.C., as long as I’m your President. If they try they will be met with serious force! ‘
Just hours earlier he tweeted that ‘numerous’ people were arrested following last night’s protests in Lafayette Park and threatened ’10 years in prison under the Veteran’s Memorial Preservation Act. Beware!’
He condemned the ‘disgraceful vandalism’ of the ‘magnificent’ statue of the controversial general Jackson, who Trump has touted as a personal hero, and also slammed people who defaced the exterior of St. John’s Church.
Police in Washington, DC, used pepper spray to arrest protesters who were trying to tear down the statue while building a so-called ‘Black House Autonomous Zone’ near the White House, echoing Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ). Creating such spaces is an occupation protest meant to establish a neighborhood without police.
On Monday night in Lafayette Park in front of the White House protesters tried to topple a bronze statue of former president Andrew Jackson and began to put up planks of wood declaring the area a ‘Black House Autonomous Zone’
The barricade for the ‘Black House Autonomous Zone’ pictured in Lafayette Park pictured, echoing Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. Creating such spaces is an occupation protest meant to establish a neighborhood without police
In Seattle, CHAZ was established by George Floyd protesters on June 8 after the Seattle Police Department vacated its East Precinct building and the zone covers six blocks and a park.
Trump has been vocal about his contempt for the zone, slamming its occupants as ‘ugly Anarchists’ while urging the governor and mayor to ‘take back’ the zone.
On Monday clean up crews were seen hosing down the statue, washing away graffiti that emblazoned the phrase ‘Killer’ on the base of the monument.
Crews were also seen taking down signs declaring BHAZ – the Black House Autonomous Zone and clearing out protesters from Black Lives Matter plaza, tearing down and trashing tents and pushing straggling demonstrators out.
‘Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Andrew Jackson’s got to go,’ protesters shouted Monday night as they threw ropes around the statue of the controversial seventh president whose figure is depicted on a horse in Lafayette Park.
As they tried to pull the statue down, DC police began to break up the crowd and clear the area, according to The Washington Post.
At least two people have been arrested for attempting to assault a police officer.
Since coming to office in January 2017, Trump aides have sought to draw comparisons between the bareknuckle Democratic president, Jackson, and Trump.
Just weeks after he took office, Trump took a trip to Jackson’s plantation, the Hermitage, in Nashville, where he paid homage to the nation’s seventh president.
‘Inspirational visit, I have to tell you. I’m a fan,’ the president said at the time.
The protesters trying to take down Jackson’s statue don’t seem convinced. Chaos ensued as hundreds of protesters were seen locking arms around the statue.
‘Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Andrew Jackson’s got to go,’ protesters shouted as they threw ropes around the statue of Jackson, the nation’s seventh president who is considered a controversial figure in American history
Police managed to intervene and prevent protesters from removing the statue, and U.S. Park Police surveyed the damage on Monday (pictured)
Pictured: Protesters put their hands in the air as police clear out Lafayette Park across the street from the White House after protesters attempted to pull down the Andrew Jackson statue in the park, in Washington DC, USA, 22 June 2020
With police helicopters flying low overhead, officers used what witnesses said was pepper spray to disperse the protesters.
Local reports indicate that between 150 and 200 US Park and DC police moved to disperse the crowd of protesters, pushing them back toward H Street Northwest.
Though the statue of Jackson remains in its place, protesters did manage to do damage to the wooden wheels of four replica canons at the base of the monument, according to the Post.
Lafayette Park has been the site of noteworthy clashes involving protesters and police.
On June 1, law enforcement officers on foot and horseback aggressively drove protesters away from Lafayette Park, clearing the way for President Donald Trump to do a photo op at nearby St. John’s Church.
Meanwhile, the United States Secret Service ordered members of the White House press corps to leave the grounds of the White House immediately, CNN reported. No explanation was provided.
Last month, as protesters gathered in front of the White House, Secret Service agents rushed the president and his family to an underground bunker.
Four DC police officers were reportedly injured after some of the protesters began to throw object, according to reports.
A protester pictured speaking with a Park Police officer standing guard with a line of police officers closing in on the park
A man pours water into a fire during demonstrations at Lafayette Square in front of the White House on Monday
Behind the protester dressed as Batman is St. John’s Church, which Trump used for a photo opportunity on June 1, and a large ‘Black Lives Matter’ banner, as protesters gather in Lafayette Square near the White House on June 22, 2020
Protest medics assist a bloodied protestor as police clash with demonstrators during an attempt by protestors to pull down the statue of former President Andrew Jackson
DC police officers subdue a protester during clashes at Lafayette Park in front of the White House on Monday
Though the statue of Jackson remains in its place, protesters did manage to do damage to the wooden wheels of four replica canons at the base of the monument
A protester who was doused with pepper spray is being aided in Lafayette Square just across the street from the White House
President Trump tweeted:’ Numerous people arrested in D.C. for the disgraceful vandalism, in Lafayette Park, of the magnificent Statue of Andrew Jackson, in addition to the exterior defacing of St. John’s Church across the street.
’10 years in prison under the Veteran’s Memorial Preservation Act. Beware!’
Since the May 25 police-involved killing of 46-year-old George Floyd in Minneapolis, protesters have been tearing down statues of historical figures from the Confederacy as well as other figures from American history who at one point owned slaves.
Just before the attempt to tear down the Jackson statue, police began clearing tents that had been put up near Black Lives Matter Plaza.
‘They were creating a potential safety hazard,’ DC Police Chief Peter Newsham said.
‘We can’t have people setting up tents on public streets.’
Police also had to contend with protesters who created roadblocks using sections of a metal fence and construction barriers.
One person posted a sign which read: ‘BHAZ: Black House Autonomous Zone.’
The sign was an apparent attempt to mimic a similar move by protesters in Seattle who occupied a six-block ‘police-free’ autonomous zone in response to the Floyd killing.
Seattle’s mayor says the city will move to wind down the ‘occupied’ protest zone following two recent shootings, including one that left a man dead. The area is pictured on Saturday after a 19-year-old was shot dead
Nineteen-year-old rapper Lorenzo Anderson was shot and killed on Saturday inside the autonomous zone in Seattle. His killer is yet to be arrested and there are mixed reports over their motive
Meanwhile, Seattle’s mayor says the city will move to wind down the ‘occupied’ protest zone following two recent shootings, including one that left a man dead.
Mayor Jenny Durkan said at a news conference Monday that officials are working with the community to bring the ‘Capitol Hill Occupied Protest’ zone to an end after two weeks.
The mayor said the violence was distracting from changes sought by thousands of peaceful protesters seeking to address racial inequity and police brutality. The area has drawn President Donald Trump’s scorn.
On Sunday night, a 17-year-old was shot in the arm at the edge of the area known as CHOP, named for the Capitol Hill neighborhood near downtown. It followed a shooting Saturday that left a 19-year-old man dead and another person critically wounded.
Nineteen-year-old rapper Lorenzo Anderson was shot and killed on Saturday inside the autonomous zone in Seattle. His killer is yet to be arrested and there are mixed reports over their motive; some say it was a personal dispute, others are calling it a right wing attack.
Protesters cordoned off the several-block area near a police station after clashes with officers following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Seattle riot squads unleashed tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bangs on large crowds of mostly peaceful protesters, drawing condemnation from many city leaders and a federal court order temporarily banning the use of the weapons on demonstrators.
A sign on a street barricade lists some of the demands of protesters in what has been named the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest zone
A person takes a photo of the Seattle Police East Precinct building
Art on the street welcomes visitors inside what has been named the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest zone in Seattle
After police largely abandoned the East Precinct building, protesters took over the area – with demonstrators painting a large ‘Black Lives Matter’ mural on the street, handing out free food, playing music and planting a community garden. Its existence incensed Trump, who criticized Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, both Democrats.
Peacefulness has prevailed during the day. On Monday, people lounged on the turf at a park, while volunteers handed out food, water and toiletries. Artists painted designs on wooden barricades, and a few candles burned in front of a sign on the police precinct listing people killed by officer.
At night, however, the atmosphere becomes more charged, with demonstrators marching and openly armed volunteer guards keeping watch. Among the demands are calls to shift funding for police to community health or other social justice causes.
Before announcing that the area would be dismantled, Durkan said Monday that ‘two nights of shootings have clearly escalated the situation on Capitol Hill’.
Durkan’s office said in a statement: ‘We have been meeting with residents and small business owners to address their safety and disorder concerns, including the ability of first responders to access emergencies in the area. … As many community groups are also urging, (the) Mayor believes individuals can and should peacefully demonstrate, but the message cannot be lost in the violence.’
Volunteer medics inside the zone brought the victims of Saturday’s shooting to the hospital rather than wait for the police and fire departments, who were preparing to respond before entering.
Demonstrators who had marched to the West Precinct police building downtown were returning to the zone when Sunday night’s shooting occurred, police said. The 17-year-old was treated and released from the hospital and wouldn’t speak with police, the department said. Investigators urged anyone with information to come forward.
Andre Taylor, who founded of the anti-police-shooting organization Not This Time! after his brother was killed by Seattle police in 2016, said Monday that he had warned protest organizers that the city would need to retake the area because of the violence.
‘That CHOP area is attracting this kind of activity and it’s unsafe,’ Taylor said in a Facebook video. ‘I told them, ‘All those people that were supporting you guys, they’re going to start walking away from you, especially all those white people that were following you… They don’t want to be associated with any part of that violence.’
How Donald Trump has compared himself to his favorite president Andrew Jackson and has an Oval Office portrait of his ‘hero’ who owned slaves
Andrew Jackson, America’s seventh president, was a controversial figure, who was known to have built his personal fortune with slave labor while his time in office led to the deaths of thousands of Native Americans
Donald Trump has responded with fury to attempts to tear down a statue of the nation’s controversial seventh president Andrew Jackson, who he touts as a personal hero.
Trump has proved his adoration for Jackson in his time in office. He proclaimed himself as a ‘fan’ of the leader, tweeted about him, placed a portrait of Jackson in the Oval Office and even made a pilgrimage to his tomb in Nashville less than two months after being sworn in.
While Jackson is often hailed as an important president, he also had a reputation as a slaveholder and oppressor of Native Americans. He forced indigenous people to move from eastern lands on the storied Trail of Tears, that killed an estimated 5,000 Cherokees.
In 2017 when travelling to Tennessee to commemorate the 250th birthday of the former president, he said ‘Inspirational visit, I have to tell you. I’m a fan,’ while standing outside Old Hickory’s (Jackson’s nickname) Greek Revival-style mansion – Jackson’s former plantation.
Comparisons have been drawn between Jackson and Trump by his advisers and supporters, with Jackson seen as the first populist president to have been elected to the White House.
Jackson is seen as a controversial figure, who was known to have built his personal fortune with slave labor while his time in office led to the deaths of thousands of Native Americans, tens of thousands of whom were stripped of their homeland.
Similar to Trump, Jackson styled himself as a man of the people, was already wealthy before his campaign, harnessed the frustrations and anger of working class white people against ‘the elite’ and defeated the dominant political dynasty of the time to win the presidency, upending the established order in Washington DC.
‘They say my election was most similar to his,’ Trump said during an appearance in Detroit, where he stopped before heading here for the Hermitage visit and an evening political rally in Nashville. ‘1828 — that’s a long time ago. Usually, they go back like to this one or that one, 12 years ago, 16. I mean, 1828, that’s a long way, that’s a long time ago.’
Following Trump’s shock election win in 2017, strategist Stephen Bannon told the Hollywood Reporter: ‘like [Andrew] Jackson’s populism, we’re going to build an entirely new political movement. The conservatives are going to go crazy.’
When giving the hosts of ‘Fox & Friends’ a tour of the Oval Office in 2017, Trump gave some reasoning behind putting the portrait of Jackson in the office, although also acknowledged the controversy surrounding the former president.
‘They say that his campaign and his whole thing was most like mine. That was interesting… That’s the great Andrew Jackson, who actually was a great general, and he was a great president — but a controversial president,’ he said during the tour.
During a town hall event in the same year, Trump said ‘Andrew Jackson had a great history’, although the comparisons to Trump has caused Jackson’s legacy to come into question from some.
The Obama administration called for Jackson to be replaced on the $20 bill by a picture of abolitionist leader Harriet Tubman, which Trump said was ‘pure political correctness’ at the time.
Pictured: U.S. President Donald Trump salutes after laying a wreath at the tomb of 19th-century U.S. President Andrew Jackson, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of Jackson’s birth at the Hermitage, Jackson’s historic home in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. March 15, 2017
Jackson, America’s seventh president who grew up on the frontier, was seen as an outsider and it is unlikely he would have ever become president if not for the Battle of New Orleans, in which he won a victory against the British at the close of the War of 1812.
‘The legacy of the battle is that Americans felt Jackson had saved them from the British. That launched the U.S. into an era of national pride,’ said Tony Guzzi, who organized the ‘Andrew Jackson, Born for a Storm’ exhibit at his historical Hermitage home.
‘The big, important thing is it really changed the way Americans felt about their country. They were more confident about the permanency of the U.S., which was only a few decades old.’
‘Jackson was the next great war hero after George Washington. They put his image on everything from plates to pitchers to coins to you-name-it,’ Guzzi said, adding that many of the ceremonial swords, medallions and gold presentation boxes are on display.
When he came to power he was popular, so popular in fact that his first inauguration was overrun by drunken well-wishers who tore up the White House furniture. Jackson had to escape from a window while his supporters were eventually persuaded to continue their celebrations on the lawn.
Jackson relished fights with political opponents, and is thought to have fought anywhere between five and 100 duels, according to historians. In one, he is believed to have killed a man who insulted him.
But his presidency was plagued with controversy.
The most famous was the 1830 The Indian Removal Act, also known as the Trail of Tears, which caused the death of thousands of Native Americans and robbed them of their lands.
Pictured: The statue of former President Andrew in Jackson Lafayette Square near the White House on June 22, 2020 as protesters attempt to pull the statue down
It forced multiple tribes to leave the cotton-rich land, where they had been for generations, to a designated zone on the other side of the Mississippi, which later became the state of Oklahoma.
He was also a prolific slave owner and never freed a slave of his own will.
His presidency also saw the closure of the national bank and an unprecedented use of the veto that many members of Congress criticized as exceeding his authority.
His time in office was also known for the Petticoat Affair, a social catastrophe that began when members of his household and cabinet refused to socialize with the scandal-plagued wife of War Secretary John Eaton. The situation escalated and led to the dissolution of nearly Jackson’s entire cabinet.
Today, statues of him remain, such as the famous equestrian piece at the center of Lafayette Park, while he has also been featured in Pulitzer Prize-winning biography ‘American Lion’ and Broadway rock musical ‘Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.’
The portrait of former President Andrew Jackson has also stared out from the face of the $20 since 1928.
But it may not be for much longer after a campaign to remove the controversial former president, who was responsible for deaths of so many Native Americans, as well as their loss of life.