DC mayor: Trump treated military ‘like toy soldiers’ to intimidate Americans

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) accused President Trump on Monday of using the U.S. military as “toy soldiers” to “intimidate Americans” in her city. 

Bowser has repeatedly hit Trump for his decision to use force to remove protesters from the streets around St. John’s Episcopal Church on June 1. She has since had public works personnel paint in giant letters “Black Lives Matter” on 16th Street NW near the White House.

Bowser has also criticized the Trump administration and the federal government for sending military vehicles into the city to control demonstrations.  

“We saw the American military moved around like toy soldiers around the country to intimidate Americans in Washington, D.C.,” she told The Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart during a discussion Monday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

DC Mayor Bowser discusses why she had “Black Lives Matter” painted on the street that leads to the White House:

“The BLM mural is a representation of an expression of our saying no, but also identifying and claiming a part of our city that had been taken over by federal forces.” pic.twitter.com/NlFMUX5TRE

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 8, 2020

Bowser and Trump have repeatedly battled over the last week after the president criticized the mayor for not doing more to control protests outside the White House.