Trump demands officials prosecute source who leaked underground bunker trip, report says

President reportedly angered by widespread coverage of trip to shelter during George Floyd protests

Donald Trump has said that he wants to find and prosecute the person who leaked information about his trip to the White House bunker amidst George Floyd protests in Washington, according to a report.

Three sources told The New York Times that Mr Trump has become “consumed” with pinpointing where the leak came from and reprimanding those involved.

The report said Mr Trump is demanding that officials find and prosecute those responsible for divulging information about his trip to the bunker, which was then widely reported by the media.

Reports that the president was rushed to the White House bunker for his safety during the third night of violent clashes between the police and protesters emerged on 1 June.

Sources told CNN that the president, the first lady, and their son Barron were all taken to the bunker as part of an emergency protocol for close to an hour.

Mr Trump later claimed that he went down to the White House bunker for an “inspection,” although US Attorney General William Barr contradicted the president's claim and confirmed that Mr Trump went down to the bunker because the Secret Service recommended it.

“On Monday we were responding to three days of extremely violent demonstrations, right across from the White House. A lot of injuries to police officers, arson,” Mr Barr said in an interview with Fox News.

“Things were so bad that the Secret Service recommended that the president go down to the bunker."

The White House bunker, whose full name is the Presidential Emergency Operations Centre, is a secure shelter underneath the house’s East Wing.

Its purpose is to allow officials and presidents to continue their work in safety during emergencies and was famously used during 9/11.

Mr Trump later staged a photo op at a shuttered church outside the White House after violently clearing peaceful protesters from the area surrounding the White House on 1 June.

Some reports said Mr Trump staged the photo op partly out of anger at the earlier news coverage regarding the bunker.

The president’s temporary retreat to the bunker came following days of civil unrest in Washington and across the US over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis after a white police officer pinned him to the ground by his neck for a prolonged period of time.

Demonstrations over the death of Floyd have taken place in all 50 states over the last three weeks with hundreds and thousands of Americans protesting police brutality, systemic racism, and racial discrimination across the country.

The White House did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment.