Trump vows to stop 'mob violence' amid riots over George Floyd death

President Trump on Saturday vowed to stop “mob violence,” as he condemned riots that have broken out amid what originally were protests across the country in response to Minneapolis man George Floyd’s death in police custody earlier this week.

The president called Floyd’s death a “tragedy” and said “it should never have happened.”

“It filled America all over the country with horror, anger and grief,” Trump said Saturday, noting that he spoke to Floyd’s family and “expressed the sorrow of our entire nation for their loss.”

“I stand before you as a friend and ally of every American seeking justice and peace,” the president said, before adding he also stands in opposition to looters.

The president went on to say that he understands the “pain” that people feel, and said his administration “supports the right of peaceful protesters and we hear their pleas,” but said much of “what we are seeing on the streets of our cities has nothing to do with justice or peace.”

“The memory of Floyd is being dishonored by rioters, looters, and anarchists,” Trump said, blaming "Antifa and other radical left-wing groups for terrorizing the innocent, destroying jobs, hurting businesses and burning down buildings."

It is unclear which groups may be participating in the riots across the country. The president has maintained that Antifa and other left-wing groups are to blame, while Minnesota officials claimed that white supremacists and other elements were involved in stoking violence.

Trump went on to warn that the “main victims of this horrible situation ... are the citizens that live in these once lovely communities.”

“The mobs are devastating the life’s work of good people and destroying their dreams,” he said. “Right now, America needs creation, not destruction. Cooperation,... (Read more)

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