General Refused Trump Demand To 'Shoot' Racial Justice Protesters

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

Former President Donald Trump wanted the military to take aggressive action against protesters following the disturbing death of George Floyd. A new book documents the former president's disturbing demands to quell the protests.

In the new book, Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost, Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Bender details the series of events that led to Trump's downfall.At one point in the book, he also discusses the nationwide protests that erupted following Floyd's death. According to Bender, Trump allegedly wanted physical harm to be brought against protesters and even suggested that they be shot.

Although the vast majority of protests were non-violent and peaceful, Trump still demanded to see law enforcement take physical action. "That's how you're supposed to handle these people," Trump told his administrative officials, according to Bender's reporting. "Crack their skulls!"

"Well, shoot them in the leg — or maybe the foot," Trump reportedly said. "But be hard on them!"

In addition to the verbal remarks, the former president is also said to have used a number of videos as examples of the pushback he wanted to see. CNN also offered details about Trump's conversations behind closed doors at the White House. He reportedly told members of his administration that he wanted the military to "beat the f--- out" of protesters.

Although General Mark A. Milley and former U.S. Attorney General Barr William reportedly made attempts to push back against the president's dangerous rhetoric, he would only back down temporarily.

Another incident reported in the book centered on one of Milley's exchanges with Trump's former senior policy adviser Stephen Miller. When Miller reportedly referred to some of the states as "war zones," Milley reportedly told him to "shut the fuck up."