Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of President Donald Trump, proposed a solution to stop radical activists from destroying statues across the country: replace any statue that is torn down with a statue of his father.
“Want to save our monuments?” Trump Jr. tweeted. “Let’s get a movement going to replace any statue torn down during these riots with a new and more sturdy statue of [President Donald Trump]. The nonsense would stop instantly.”
Want to save our monuments?
Let’s get a movement going to replace any statue torn down during these riots with a new and more sturdy statue of @realDonaldTrump.
The nonsense would stop instantly.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 23, 2020
The tweet from Trump Jr. comes after rioters have destroyed numerous statues of former presidents in recent days, including statues of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ulysses S. Grant. Rioters on Monday attempted to destroy a statue of former President Andrew Jackson near the White House.
President Trump announced on Tuesday that he has taken action to stop the destruction of property on federal land.
“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,” Trump tweeted. “This action is taken effective immediately, but may also be used retroactively for destruction or vandalism already caused. There will be no exceptions!”
Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt responded to the latest destruction of property by rioters in a statement on Twitter:
I just left Lafayette Square where another so called “peaceful protest” led to destruction tonight. Let me be clear: we will not bow to anarchists. Law and order will prevail, and justice will be served.
The scope of the violence and destruction since the protests started weeks ago have been significant. Criminals have vandalized national memorials and monuments, ignited sacred sites, attacked law enforcement officers, and destroyed countless businesses.
The Lincoln Memorial and World War II Memorial were previously defaced, and now the Andrew Jackson Statue in Lafayette Square has been defaced by criminals who sought to topple the statue recognizing the seventh President of the United States.
Law enforcement officers ensured that this would not happen.
Across the country, some elected leaders of our cities have expressed enthusiasm and support for these criminals, exhibiting an undeniable unwillingness to protect law abiding citizens and their property.
We live in the greatest country in the world, and I thank our dedicated law enforcement officials who stand tall against these coordinated attacks and seek peace and justice for all.
The trend of defacing and toppling historical statues and monuments across the country was sparked by the police-involved death of George Floyd. Floyd’s death triggered riots, looting, and violence across the country, which has since morphed into activists going after Confederate statues. The activists quickly moved on from the Confederate statues to vandalizing statues of America’s presidents, the man who wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner,” a notable person from the Catholic church, and a Holocaust memorial.
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