Trump allegation

Donald Trump wanted Black Lives Matter protesters outside the White House to be shot in the legs, according to his former Defence Secretary. In 2020, the US president reportedly vented his fury in the Oval Office amid demonstrations in Washington following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Trump said: “Can’t you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?”, according to a new book by Mark Esper, who was his defence secretary at the time. Details from a preview of the book, A Sacred Oath, were published by the Axios website. Esper’s account appeared to confirm previous reports that Trump had suggested the military should intervene to quell civil unrest. Esper’s book, which will be released on May 10, has been vetted by the Pentagon and reviewed by a series of generals.