‘Just shoot them’: Trump wanted military to ‘crack skulls’ of George Floyd protesters, book claims

Former president called demonstrators ‘thugs’ amid nationwide outrage over racial injustice

Amid nationwide uproar following the death of George Floyd Donald Trump allegedly told military officials that to ‘handle’ protesters they needed to 'crack their skulls’ (Reuters/ Getty)

Donald Trump wanted the US military to “crack skulls” of those protesting the murder of George Floyd, a report has claimed.

CNN’s Jake Tapper said that a new book by The Wall Street Journal’s Michael Bender obtained by the broadcaster “paints a disturbing picture” of the former president’s White House.

An excerpt from the book claims that on 1 June 2020, amid a nationwide uproar following the death of Mr Floyd, Mr Trump told military officials that to “handle” protesters they needed to “crack their skulls”.

“Trump told his team that he wanted the military to go in and ‘beat the f*** out’ of the protesters. ‘Just shoot them,’” the book titled, Frankly, We Did Win This Election’: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost, alleges.

When Mr Trump purportedly received pushback from officials within the administration on his violent stance, he allegedly said: “Well, shoot them in the leg – or maybe the foot… But be hard on them!”

“That’s the president of the United States watching from the safety of the Oval Office,” Mr Tapper said in reaction to the alleged comments, “while Americans who were peacefully protesting the horrific killing of George Floyd, and some that were doing so not so peacefully, were beaten and tear-gassed just steps away from the White House.”

Violent treatment of peaceful protesters in Washington DC received significant backlash after footage showed authorities in Lafayette Square launching tear gas and rubber bullets.

The protest outside the White House was only one of hundreds taking place in all 50 states across the country over the death of Mr Floyd.

Mr Trump often vilified demonstrators, and took a hard line on protests that saw rioting and looting amid clashes with police, calling them “thugs” and infamously declaring “when the looting starts, the shooting starts”.

The former president vowed that he was a “president of law and order, and an ally of peaceful protesters” in a press conference at the White House just before demonstrators were violently cleared for a photo-op nearby.

His heavy-handed attitude amid the protests drew widespread criticism against his willingness to use unnecessary force and military power against civil rights protesters disproportionately.

Following the 6 January insurrection on the US Capitol, Mr Trump conveyed a starkly different attitude over the actions of his violent supporters, calmly asking them to return home hours after they breached the building and calling them “special”.

The Independent has contacted the office of Mr Trump for comment.