Cuomo: ‘Shameful’ Trump Called ‘Out the American Military for a Photo Opportunity’

Monday on CNN, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) accused President Donald Trump of using the military to clear protesters, so he could hold a Bible for a “photo op” in front of St. John’s Church, which was damaged in a fire set during protests on Sunday night.

Cuomo said, “The president wants to re-create reality here, right? Even the pictures from Washington, D.C. You had a number of protesters. They were peaceful protesters. They were young people, largely a white crowd in Washington, D.C., who are offended at what they saw with the Floyd murder, which they should be. It’s actually a beautiful thing that you have people all across this nation saying enough is enough after what happened to Mr. Floyd. So that’s actually a positive. Now, do you have any in these situations, people who exploit the moment and people who have criminal activity and looting and extremist groups that pose anarchy? Yes. But the protesters themselves have been making a very valid point — wake up America, we’re killing people based on the color of their skin. And it is a real issue. The president wants to make it a reality TV show of God and country, call out the military and then go to church and hold up a Bible. Yeah, we understand who he’s trying to appeal to and the base he’s trying to rally with the military, and I believe in God, and I hold a Bible, but that’s not what’s happening in this country today.”

He continued, “What the president today did was he called out the American military against American citizens. That’s what they did. They used the American military to push back a peaceful protest, which everyone watched on TV, just so he could have a photo-op of walking to a church. When was the last time you saw the American military called out against Americans? Yeah, is that America? Is that making America great? I don’t think so.”

He added, “I’ve seen a lot of things, but I was shocked at what they did. I was shocked at the force they used to move the protesters who could not have been more peaceful, and from their signs, they were all there to make a legitimate point about the killing of Mr. Floyd. And it was just for a photo opportunity. I mean, it is amazing — calling out the American military for a photo opportunity. That’s what it was. I mean, it was shameful. It was really, truly shameful.”

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