Friday, July 24, 2020

BECAUSE OF COURSE HE DOES

Donald Trump Appears To Mock Portland Mayor Who Was Tear-Gassed At Protest: ‘They Knocked The Hell Out Of Him’

NATHAN HOWARD / GETTY IMAGESUS POLITICS

Nathan Francis

Donald Trump appeared to mock Portland, Oregon, Mayor Ted Wheeler in a live interview on Thursday night, saying that federal law enforcement officers “knocked the hell out of him” at a protest this week.

Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump spoke of his decision to dispatch a number of federal security forces to secure federal buildings. The move has come under intense scrutiny, with the officers being accused of using heavy-handed tactics and critics saying that Trump is aiming to incite violence. The president has since announced plans to send what he referred to as a “surge” of security forces to other major cities, all of which are led by Democratic mayors.

Trump defended the decision, telling Hannity that unrest in the Oregon city necessitated his response. He went on to refer to the mayor being hit with tear gas dispatched by the forces during a protest on Wednesday night in a tone that appeared to mock him.

Trump said that protesters were trying to “rip down” the court house, and blamed the Portland mayor — who he initially referred to as Whalen — for taking part in the protest, insinuating that he deserved to have come under attack.

“He made a fool out of himself,” Trump said. “He wanted to be among the people, so he went into the crowd and they knocked the hell out of him — that was the end of him. It was pretty pathetic.”
Video from Wednesday’s demonstration showed Wheeler physically affected by the irritant, which left his eyes watered. He was given water as he moved away to recover, and later had angry words about the decision to dispatch the forces in his city.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler says the tear gas stings. Says egregious overreaction from feds. Calls it urban warfare. pic.twitter.com/hrRICiNGHn
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) July 23, 2020

Wheeler has been sharply critical of the federal response in his city, and after being struck by tear gas on Wednesday he said that it was an “egregious overreaction” and that there was no justification for the use of irritants like that on protesters.

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