‘We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators,’ President Trump adds
The city of Portland has been engulfed in protests, some of which have turned violent or resulted in looting and arsons, for months. However, local authorities have refused to accept assistance from the federal government to quell the unrest, despite pressure from the White House and criticism from President Donald Trump. President Donald Trump is ready to provide additional law enforcement assets to any state governor who requests this to cope with the ongoing unrest and riots, regardless of their political affiliation,White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has stated. “We are ready. In fact, the president is ready to make sure that we provide whatever law enforcement support that we can […] We are willing to come in; we are willing to provide additional assets as we did in Kenosha”, Meadows said, referring to the federal government’s help in stopping the spate of violence in the Wisconsin city. The protests emerged after a police officer shot an African-American suspect in a sexual assault case in the back several times after he resisted the arrest. In a separate statement on the matter, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said that “all options on the table” when it comes to resolving the issue of the continuing anti-racism protests, “specifically as we talk about Portland”.
