Trump’s warning as National Guard exits ​

Donald Trump said that he will begin withdrawing National Guard troops from Washington, DC, but warned they can “quickly return.”

“I have just given an order for our National Guard to start the process of withdrawing from Washington, D.C., now that everything is under perfect control. They will be going home, but can quickly return, if needed. Far fewer protesters showed up last night than anticipated!,” the president posted on Twitter.
 

I have just given an order for our National Guard to start the process of withdrawing from Washington, D.C., now that everything is under perfect control. They will be going home, but can quickly return, if needed. Far fewer protesters showed up last night than anticipated!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2020

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has been feuding with Mr Trump over the military response to the protests and claimed that the government is “inflaming” the rallies that have erupted in Washington and other cities across the country after George Floyd’s death on May 25, urged the president to remove the troops in a letter last Friday.

“The protesters have been peaceful, and last night, the Metropolitan Police Department did not make a single arrest. Therefore, I am requesting that you withdraw all extraordinary law enforcement and military presence from Washington, DC,” Mr Bowser wrote in the letter.

After Mr Bowser had “Black Lives Matter” painted on a street leading to the White House, Mr Trump called the Democrat “incompetent.”

“The incompetent Mayor of Washington, D.C., @MayorBowser, who’s budget is totally out of control and is constantly coming back to us for ‘handouts’, is now fighting with the National Guard, who saved her from great embarrassment over the last number of nights,” Mr Trump tweeted.

Mr Bowser, who was elected in 2015, accused Mr Trump of hiding “alone” in the heavily fortified White House while he called out the military to deal with protesters who have been rallying since Mr Floyd’s death at the hands of the Minneapolis police department.

Major Gen. William J. Walker, the commander of the National Guard in Washington, DC, said the extra troops brought in the quell the protests could be gone from the capital by Monday.

“They will be redeploying this week. Probably as early as Monday,” Mr Walker told CNN.

This story originally appeared in the New York Post and has been reproduced with permission