It’s the second video in as many days showing Trump’s apparent support of violence against protesters.
President Donald Trump shared a tweet on Monday morning of a white St. Louis couple brandishing and pointing their guns in the direction of protesters against anti-Black racism and police violence who were marching toward the mayor’s office.
While it’s unclear what Trump intended by sharing the post, his past statements against demonstrators who are part of the Movement for Black Lives have prompted news agencies to suggest the president was likely retweeting the video in support of the display of weapons against protesters.
If that is indeed the case, the president could be endorsing an illegal action. According to Missouri state law, it is illegal to exhibit, “in the presence of one or more persons, any weapon readily capable of lethal use in an angry or threatening manner.”
The 30-second video shows a white man holding an assault rifle and a white woman holding a handgun. Both appear to point their weapons at participants in a racial justice protest walking by their home, with video the tweet Trump shared (via ABC News) showing the man involved yelling at the demonstrators.
