₦airaland Forum

Donald Trump has claimed to have spent only a “tiny” amount of time in a reinforced security bunker under the White House as protesters clashed with Secret Service agents outside and has insisted his time there was for an “inspection”, not his own safety.

'He wears the armor of God': evangelicals hail Trump's church photo op
In an interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on his radio show on Wednesday, Trump also claimed to have visited the bunker in the daytime, not after dark, when protesters and law enforcement officers clashed outside the executive mansion.

The New York Times first reported that Trump was taken to the Presidential Emergency Operations Center on Friday night, for about an hour. Other outlets, citing White House sources, confirmed it.


The protected space under the White House was used by Vice-President Dick Cheney on 11 September 2001, when authorities feared a plane might strike the building. It has since been reinforced.

Trump told Kilmeade: “I was there for a tiny, short little period of time” and said he had visited the bunker “two or three times, all for inspection”.

“And you go there, someday you may need it, but you go there, I went down, I looked at it, it was during the day, it was not a problem. And I read about it like a big thing. There was never a problem, nobody ever came close to giving us a problem.”

It wasn’t during the night. I think they reported during the night. During the night, maybe some day it makes sense
Trump earned rebukes on Saturday by tweeting that had protesters breached the White House fence, they would have been met by “vicious dogs” and “ominous weapons”.

The protests in Washington and cities across the country, the worst civil unrest since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr in 1968, arose from the killing in Minneapolis last week of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man who died after a police officer kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes.


“After we had the one evening which was a little rough,” Trump told Kilmeade, “we brought in the troops”.

In a call on Monday which was leaked to outlets including the Guardian, Trump harangued governors about the need to “dominate” protesters, and demanded they call in the national guard. Guardsmen and federal officers have been deployed in Washington. On Tuesday, combat soldiers of the regular US army were moved within reach of the capital.

Kilmeade asked Trump if, as was reported, the Secret Service had told him he had to “go downstairs” in order to protect his welfare.


“No, they didn’t tell me that at all,” the president said, “but they said it would be a good time to go down, to take a look, because maybe some time you’re going to need it … I looked, I was down for a very, very short period of time … a whole group of people went with me, as an inspecting factor.”

It was reported at the weekend that the first lady, Melania Trump, and the president’s son Barron Trump also went to the bunker.

“And Brian it was during the day,” Trump insisted, “it wasn’t during the night. I think they reported during the night. During the night, maybe some day it makes sense.”

On Monday evening, Trump gave a speech in the White House Rose Garden, promising “law and order” but also expressing sympathy with peaceful protesters.


At the same time, the attorney general, William Barr, ordered the forcible clearance of peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square and the area around St John’s church, in front of the White House, so Trump could walk to the church for a photo op with a Bible.

Extensive reporting citing administration officials said Trump wanted to make the walk – and therefore precipitated the assault with rubber bullets and chemical agents on peaceful protesters including priests, a hugely controversial move – to counter the perception he had hidden in the bunker on Friday.

The decision to use the historic “Church of the Presidents” for such a photo op attracted widespread criticism, including from religious leaders. Some Trump supporters expressed approval.

Trump insisted: “Most religious leaders loved it. I heard [evangelical leader] Franklin Graham this morning thought it was great, I heard many other people think it was great … it was only the other side that didn’t like it.”

A photo op as protests swirled: how Trump came to walk to the church
Trump falsely claimed protesters “burned down the church the day before. I heard how nice and wonderful the protesters were over there. Really? Then why did they burn down a big section of it?”

In a letter to parishioners, the Rev Robert Fisher, rector of the church, said: “There was a small fire in the parish house basement. Thankfully, it appears to have been contained to the nursery – though, as you might imagine there is smoke and water damage to other areas of the basement.”

The church was boarded up when Trump arrived.


“We walked over to the church it was very fast, it was very symbolic,” the president told Kilmeade, adding: “The fake news makes everything bad no matter what you do.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/03/trump-bunker-george-floyd-protests

1realBobby:
And they would still end up using 1972 model trains on the tracks... smh!

Like which ones?

Kekereekun123:
Trump go still win elections

He's a goner.

JOHNSONSOLAFUNMI:
What I love about USA is their right to own gun... nothing beats the right to protect yourself and family against intruder

Intruders they encourage.

There are lots of other countries with no gun policies with minimal criminal activities - All of Scandinavia, The Netherlands, even UK.

themaestro08:
So far this government under buhari have so far borrowed $84 billion to fund infrastructure projects. Could you mention these completed projects?

Lies.

The country is planning to borrow so stop with it.

Grovemaster:
Shame to every member of the house of rep.from the south East. I know this's very difficult for us to swallow but forward we move..we were able to overcome 5 pounds given to our parents,abandoned properties and all the whole atrocities, check us out in the next 5 years.

It was 50 pence.

Davash222:
I'm shocked to see Kwara earning more than Cross Rivers. Obviously, fraud is involved

Why won't Kwara generate more than Cross River?

What does Cross River produce that Kwara doesn't?

They would beg to be reinstated.

Ogonimilitant:
The reason why Biafra must come

They should go.

Esseite:
Is there any project in the East sited on that loan schedule?..

You are quoting yourself?

nero2face:
so they should borrow to build a railway for u?, some of Buhari's supporters are just stupid and foolish

Don't be stupid.

You would continue to repeat the cycle of continuing to resist loans then come around to ask for yours.

I've never met people as dumb .

In 2 years they would be asking for railway as they did in 2016.

ovoP:
Well if you consider these companies, pay lots of money for security, pay lots of money to community leaders... pipeline vandalism.. e.t.c. All these increases the cost of production.

Most of our assets are swamp, offshore, deepwater etc.

They want to compare our production with those over land without these challenges, including those you speak of.

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jlinkd78:
The way Asari was running mouth you won't believe he had at any time had anything to do with IPOB. While I call for cessation of these vituperation from both camps for d sake of d collective good, I must blame Asari in strongest term for starting this media war when he released a video calling Nnamdi Kanu a con man when he had all along dealing with him. For d sake of Biafra, people of goodwill and all lovers of freedom worldwide should wade in and let these verbal attacks end. One gain however from d event of d recent past is dat d questions bothering Ijawland as part of Biafra has been put to rest and Asari has even admitted his ancestral Igbo name is Uzodinma.

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Nonsense.

Would all this bring Nnamdi Kanu back from the grave?

SarkinYarki:
Well Trump is heading for a LANDSLIDE dont allow MSM deceive you .. Americans are tired of the Divisive DEMOCRATs ...Can you swear to God that Buhari didn't rig the 2019 elections .. Election he started rigging even before the election by removing the CJN ..

He rightly removed the ex-CJN who even begged for clemency otherwise he would have been in jail by now.

All the polls have shown Trump has an insurmountable hurdle to overcome trailing by double digits.

The final nail was his inability to adequately handle the effects of Covid-19, his inability to handle basic domestic issues without actually inflaming frayed nerves.

He has lost the female demography, the college educated, the blacks as never before, and even amongst his inner circle, he's bruised his allies into abandoning him.

Forget your inconsequential bravado, Trump should be referred to as ex-president henceforth.

SarkinYarki:
You Muslims dream to much and Buhari was never re elected

All those who would vote Trump out would be Muslims abi?

Buhari wasn't re-elected right? I'm sure you are referring to the proverbial server abi?

Watch how a dummy with no brain would oppose this without an iota of fact.

Buhari got re-elected while Trump would be shown the way out.

Not even the electoral college can save him this time.

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gaius01:
don't be surprised this guy is very very Broke. you know one, oñe day you will understand that this life not about critizing other people but focusing on ya life to be popular as the men of God you mentioned. as you Bleep them did it add a naira to your account. it high time we focus on our life and allow God anybody doing contrary to his word. lit up fam!!!!!

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God would still act through man.

So this is part of the action.

ekensi01:
You know what is paining me?

People paying their offering and tithes has never come to borrow money from you guys to do so.

Why is someone else problem disturbing you?

Who told you?

Very good.

OGand99others:
[s][/s] Yes because that's a result of an insecurity

I lost 200 Naira last week.

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OGand99others:
Which Nigerians are they talking about?
it will never be well with Buhari and his cabinet.
A secondary school girl was shot by a police officer and up till this moment the dullard is yet to speak
Another was rape inside a church and the dullard is still maintaining his deaf ears
This Government has failed us but Tribalism and Nepotism will not allow us to speak or stand up for our rights.
I ask you Nigerians when are we going to Say to these old fools who have lived their lives to damage our future?
SAY NO TO TRIBALISM
SAY NO TO TRIBALISM
SAY NO TO TRIBALISM

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The president should address the country because of rape committed in a church?

Shey Nairaland don get Toy section?

ahaz:
another psycho spotted..my regret is this is a faceless group cos I would have looked at how your ugly face will look like when the dead bihari saga will be unmaskedl.

So Buhari is dead but the late Kanu is alive?

What about his parents?

Cti28:
Things are getting out of hand. Or is this riot some how connected to the upcoming election.

You would rather believe that than believe people are outraged by the daylight murder of another black man.

The late Kanu has swallowed the money.

His impostor can never refund what he never ate.

They are testing the waters with this story.

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oyetpel:
Thank God my cousins are not iike these complainers.

They will refuse to send people money here (when they know the exchange rate is favourable to foreign currency), and then they mock people still stuck in Nigeria.

Despite the struggles my cuzs go through, they always have good things to say about abroad, and i hope i join them soon.


Continue complaining with the little change you send or not sending again, money you can make in one day.

Since you are not sending again, did they die?

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Read again since you didn't comprehend the first time.

E don get alert.

Trump would not be re-elected.

The writing is on the wall.