![]() President Donald Trump holding a Bible in front of Ashburton House, the parish house of St. John's Episcopal Church | |
Date | June 1, 2020 |
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Time | 7:06–7:11 p.m. EDT |
Venue | Lafayette Square, St. John's Episcopal Church, and Ashburton House |
Coordinates | 38°54′01″N 77°02′09″W / 38.9003°N 77.0358°W |
Target | Protesters in and around Lafayette Square |
Filmed by | News media, protesters, bystanders |
Participants | U.S. government, news media and protesters |
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Business and personal 45th President of the United States Tenure Impeachments Prosecutions Interactions involving Russia ![]() |
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On June 1, 2020, amid the George Floyd protests in Washington, D.C., law enforcement officers used tear gas and other riot control tactics to forcefully clear peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square, creating a path for President Donald Trump and senior administration officials to walk from the White House to St. John's Episcopal Church.[1][2][3] Trump held a Bible and posed for a photo op in front of Ashburton House (the church's parish house), which had been defaced by graffiti and damaged by a fire set during protests the night before.[4][5]
The clearing of demonstrators from Lafayette Square was widely condemned as excessive force and an affront to the First Amendment right to freedom of assembly.[6][7] Just before visiting the church, Trump delivered a speech in which he urged the governors of U.S. states to quell violent protests by using the National Guard to "dominate the streets," or he would otherwise "deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem."[8][9][10]
Former military leaders, current religious leaders, and elected officials from both major political parties condemned Trump for the event,[11] though some of Trump's fellow Republicans defended the actions.[12] The event was described by The New York Times as "a burst of violence unlike any seen in the shadow of the White House in generations" and possibly one of the defining moments of the Trump presidency.[7] Civil liberties groups filed a federal lawsuit against Trump, U.S. Attorney General William Barr, and other federal officials, alleging they violated protesters' constitutional rights.[13] General Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, later apologized for his role in the photo op.[14]
A June 2021 Interior Department Inspector General review of U.S. Park Police actions found that Park Police cleared Lafayette Square as part of a plan to erect fencing.[15][16][17] The Park Police incident commander was reportedly stunned when Barr informed him of Trump's impending visit.[18] That report also confirmed the use of tear gas by D.C. Metropolitan Police, revealed Park Police did not request deployment of Bureau of Prisons to the park, and reported that it was not known why U.S. Secret Service had deployed ahead of schedule, advancing on protesters before the Park Police had a chance to warn protesters to disperse.[19][20][17]: 15 The report also indicated that Park Police commanders could not identify who gave the order to deploy.[17]
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