Asked if the military has to be sent into American cities to restore law and order, President Trump said “I don’t think we’ll have to.".
Trump said he has “very strong powers to do it” and said he might go beyond the National Guard “if it was necessary.".
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Wednesday that he does not support using active duty troops to quell the large-scale protests across the United States.
"The option to use active duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort, and only in the most urgent and dire of situations.
We are not in one of those situations now.
I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act," he told reporters.
Trump said while the nation needs healing, there also needs to be “safety in our cities. »