The Miserable Battle of Lafayette Square

June 1: On This Day In 2020

It was a collision of furious Americans. Protestors were furious about police brutality toward Black Lives. Donald Trump was furious that protestors were protesting. And when they met face-to-face OTDI 2020, the outcome was a tragedy for our nation. 

The protestors: They gathered on the streets near the White House. Eventually, their rally was met by police and secret service agents in riot gear who used tear gas, pepper spray, and “rubber bullets” to make them scatter.

The President: Then, once the area had been cleared, Donald Trump emerged from his den, surrounded by a phalanx of national security officials, military brass, cabinet members, and family members. He marched across Lafayette Square to St. John’s Episcopal Church. (It’s known as the “Church of the Presidents” because most presidents have worshipped there, beginning with James Madison.)

Apparently thinking that his militaristic march would make him look “strong,” Trump then stood there in front of the church, scowling for the cameras, and holding up a Bible so that the world could bear witness to his defense of honor. If all went well with his photo op, blessings from God -- and votes from Americans -- would surely follow.

This nakedly political ploy was not a typical act from a government leader, and backlash was immediate, even from Trump’s own team. “I should not have been there" confessed Mark Milley, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff confessed. And Defense Secretary Mark Esper admitted he didn’t know exactly where they were headed on their group march and what Trump would do once he got there.

Some follow-ups: There were conflicting reports in the aftermath about whether the streets had been cleared specifically for Trump's stunt. But as Radley Balko summarized, an official government report “clears only the Park Police — and not the Secret Service or any other law enforcement agencies present — of coordinating with the White House to clear the park for Trump’s photo op.”

On releasing the report, Ranking Member Raul Grijalva concluded, “June 1 will forever live in infamy as the day that a sitting president turned U.S. law enforcement against the very people they are sworn to protect. Our first amendment rights are a sacred part of our democracy, but as this report makes clear, the Trump administration deemed it more important to play out the president’s vindictive battle fantasies against peaceful protestors than to protect those rights."

By the way: Trump, who repeatedly tried to impress evangelicals with the purity of his faith (remember “Two Corinthians”?) held up…the wrong Bible. He had picked the outdated Revised Standard version of Scripture, which most evangelicals reject as both outdated and “distinctly liberal.”

Working to make improvements: The Biden Administration announced a change in police tactics to reduce the chance that an incident like this—in which confusion reigns and communication is poor—could happen again.

Dive Deeper 

• You can see the massive police and secret service presence to enable Trump’s march here on C-Span.

• The New York Times reported: “How Trump’s Idea for a Photo Op Led to Havoc in a Park”

• NPR has the IG’s report 

• Read Radley Balko’s Op Ed on the aftermath

• Mother Joes exposed Trump’s error of biblical proportions

• Biden’s change in policy is detailed by Washingtonian

• Milley’s quote is captured by NPR

• Esper’s take is on NBC

• Dems' analysis a year later

Subscribe

Summary: Trump clears Lafayette Square for Bible photo op