Donald Trump Reportedly Wanted Military To ‘Beat The F**k’ Out Of George Floyd Protesters

"Just shoot them," the ex-president repeatedly demanded, according to a new book. "Crack their skulls."
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Former President Donald Trump wanted a violent military response to civil rights protesters who took to the streets following the police killing of George Floyd last year, according to a new book.

Trump reportedly told advisers that he wanted soldiers to “beat the fuck” out of the mostly peaceful demonstrators, according to an excerpt from Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Bender’s “‘Frankly, We Did Win This Election’: The Inside Story Of How Trump Lost” that was published by CNN on Thursday.

“Just shoot them,” Trump reportedly repeatedly demanded. He is also quoted as saying he wanted to “crack their skulls.”

@jaketapper reports <a href=https://www.huffpost.com/"https://t.co/eatvSGv9rZ/">pic.twitter.com/eatvSGv9rZ

— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) <a href=https://www.huffpost.com/"https://twitter.com/TheLeadCNN/status/1408194718501068814?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\%22>June 24, 2021</a></blockquote>","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"The Lead CNN","author_url":"https://twitter.com/TheLeadCNN","cache_age":86400,"description":"Trump wanted military to 'beat the f***' out of George Floyd protesters and 'crack their skulls,' new book reveals @jaketapper reports pic.twitter.com/eatvSGv9rZ— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) June 24, 2021\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","title":"The Lead CNN on 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Trump wanted military to 'beat the f***' out of George Floyd protesters and 'crack their skulls,' new book reveals @jaketapper reports pic.twitter.com/eatvSGv9rZ

— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) June 24, 2021

After some aides challenged the order, the then-president slightly softened. “Well, shoot them in the leg — or maybe the foot, but be hard on them,” he said, according to the book.

In another incident around the time of the protests, Bender reported that Gen. Mark Milley, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, told Trump’s then-senior policy adviser Stephen Miller to “shut the fuck up” after Miller claimed cities were like war zones.

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