President Donald Trump on Tuesday at the White House said he would soon issue an executive order against the organized mobs toppling and defacing statues and monuments across the United States.
“We are looking at long-term jail sentences for these vandals and these hoodlums and these anarchists, and agitators,” Trump said. “They’re bad people. They don’t love our country, and they’re not taking down our monuments.”
The president commented after an organized mob tried to topple a statue of former President Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans in Lafayette Square across from the White House.
“I will have an executive order very shortly, and all it’s really going to do is reinforce what’s already there but in a more uniform way,” he said.
He said that state governments like Seattle were “very weak” and that the federal government was standing ready to assist them to fight off the radical left groups.
“These are not protesters by the way, these are anarchists and other things, if these hoodlums come around and these states can’t handle it, we are ready and willing to help,” he said.
The president also previewed his upcoming executive action on Twitter.
…..This action is taken effective immediately, but may also be used retroactively for destruction or vandalism already caused. There will be no exceptions!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 23, 2020
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