‘Sturdy’ Donald Trump statues should replace torn-down monuments, Trump Jr. says
Donald Trump Jr. has a solution for saving monuments that have been torn down this month by protesters.
Replace them with statues of his father.
“Let’s get a movement going to replace any statue torn down during these riots with a new and more sturdy statue of @realDonaldTrump,” the president’s eldest son tweeted Tuesday morning. “The nonsense would stop instantly.”
His comments come as protesters across the United States have toppled or vandalized statues memorializing Confederate soldiers, former presidents and Christopher Columbus. Monday, protesters in Washington, D.C., defaced a statue of former U.S. President Andrew Jackson, who signed a law while he was in office that led to the Trail of Tears displacement of Native Americans, according to NBC News.
The protesters chanted “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Andrew Jackson’s got to go” while attempting to pull down the statue, The Hill reported.
The president tweeted Monday night “numerous people” were arrested following what he called “disgraceful vandalism.”
Trump said Monday and repeated again Tuesday morning that people who vandalize federal property should receive severe punishment.
“I have authorized the Federal Government to arrest anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument, statue or other such Federal property in the U.S. with up to 10 years in prison, per the Veteran’s Memorial Preservation Act, or such other laws that may be pertinent,” the president tweeted. “This action is taken effective immediately, but may also be used retroactively for destruction or vandalism already caused. There will be no exception.”
That law states anyone who vandalizes federal property “commemorating the service of any person or persons in the armed forces of the United States shall be fined” or jailed for up to 10 years, but it does not apply to statues on private, state or local property.
There have been debates this month surrounding Confederate statues, which some say are symbols of white supremacy. The monuments have been a talking point following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for about eight minutes. That officer and three others have been charged.